Van Gogh House London

Van Gogh House is excited to welcome artist Yingmei Duan as a digital artist in residence with Van Gogh House.

 

Yingmei Duan is participating in a 100 day online artist residency at Van Gogh House. Over the next 100 days, Duan will document her residency on this page through weekly updates.

 

Newcastle University (NU) is leading on a new networking project with national and international heritage partners National Trust, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC), and the Artist’s Studio Museum Network to research and understand the international breadth of curatorial activity regarding commissioning contemporary art for heritage sites and archives.

 

As part of the NU research, four artists have been commissioned to engage virtually with the rich history of three specific heritage places in England. Responding to Van Gogh House is artist Yingmei Duan.

 

Yingmei will be presenting her project in person at Van Gogh House on the 30th October, book a ticket here ⟶

Thanks!

During my virtual residency, a lot has happened. I am very happy to have finally finished the 100-day diaries. Thanks to Van Gogh House in London!

I would also like to apologise for the last few diaries being pushed back a bit due to the publication of my new catalogue titled “The Developing Performance Art System of Yingmei Duan (2014-2024).” 

I also want to express how much I miss my lovely mom! She supported me and my art all her life. Thank you, Mom; You always in my heart and I love you forever!

I am very proud to be part of this residency. Thanks again to Rebecca Farley and Judith King, who are researchers at Newcastle University (NU). As part of the NU research, four artists have been commissioned to respond to the rich history of specific locations in England and an archival ‘memory bank’:

Nidhi Khurana, based in India, for Kipling House, Bateman’s National Trust, Burwash

Yingmei Duan (me), based in Germany, for Van Gogh House, London

Liliya Lifanova, based in the USA, for 575 Wandsworth Road, London National Trust

Mohammad Sabir, currently living in London, for AHRDO

I have cherished the opportunity to spend time learning about Van Gogh’s life experiences and artistic development. Van Gogh’s passion, dedication, hard work, and perseverance in art deeply moved me. I feel very lucky to be able to connect with Van Gogh across time and space.

I hope I can still go on Van Gogh’s project and expect to learn much, much more about him and his art.

Creating 90 Children’s Books

I want to create 90 children’s books about Van Gogh’s life for children aged 3-8.

Each book will focus on a critical moment in his life, his artworks, his favourite painter and writer, his deep belief in religion, and more, in collaboration with Jürgen Bernhard Kuck.

This project is expected to take around five years to complete.

Some examples:

” Van Gogh Loved Millet”

Van Gogh really loved painter Millet. Millet didn’t paint castles or kings—he painted farmers working in the fields and bakers making bread.

From that day on, Van Gogh decided to follow in Millet’s footsteps. He picked up his paintbrush and began to paint people working in the fields. Millet’s paintings were like magic, opening up a whole new world in his heart. So, Van Gogh kept painting, using his brush to show how much he loved these everyday people.

“Van Gogh and His Great Brother Theo”

Van Gogh loved to paint, but sometimes he felt lonely and sad， he also no money. Luckily, he had a very special brother, Theo, who was always there to help him.

Theo helped him buy paint, brushes, and everything he needed to keep making art. He always told Van Gogh, “Keep painting! You’re a great artist.”
Even when things were hard, Theo never gave up on his brother. Under Theo’s love and support, Van Gogh created more than 2,000 works of art.

Van Gogh always knew with Theo by his side, he could keep following his dream! Van Gogh loved Theo!

“Van Gogh’s Yellow House”
In a sunny city called Arles, there was a bright yellow house that Van Gogh adored. After exploring many places, he finally found his forever home!

In this yellow house, Van Gogh had a wonderful idea. He wanted artists to live with him for free! All they had to do was send a painting to his brother Theo every month. Van Gogh dreamed that Theo would open a gallery in Paris filled with beautiful paintings…

You have just seen some examples, of course the texts needed more better worked and with very simple children language.

For this project I need make some researching about children aged 3-8 and also read some children books…

Fairy tale from the book “The Pilgrim’s Progress”

It’s fascinating to learn how his time in London big influenced his artistic direction later on. For example, he developed a love for drawing and painting ordinary people, including those from lower social classes.

While he was in England, Van Gogh was influenced by the social reform movement. In Victorian London, many people wanted to make life better for others. There were books, paintings, and movements that asked for better living conditions for working-class people. These ideas had a big impact on Van Gogh. They helped him understand fairness and the suffering of people.

He read many books. One he liked was “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” It was written by John Bunyan in England and has two parts. 

In the first part, a man named “Christian” has a dream. He reads a book and finds out that his city will be destroyed. He feels scared. Then a man named “Evangelist” tells him to leave his home and go to the Celestial City. Christian has a heavy burden and starts a hard journey to find help for himself and others.

The second part is about Christian’s wife, “Christiana,” and their children. They are guided by a man named “Great heart” on their way to heaven.

Both journeys are similar. They both face many challenges and want to save their souls. The first part is about Christian looking for truth by himself. The second part is about Christiana and her family working together to reach heaven. They help and encourage each other, like a loving family that cares for one another.

Vincent van Gogh lived in Borinage, a mining area in Belgium after he left London. His life in Borinage looks like the story “The Pilgrim’s Progress”. 

He wanted to help the poor people living there. Van Gogh worked as a pastor and tried to care for the miners and their families. He saw how hard their lives were and wanted to make a difference.

In Borinage, Van Gogh faced many challenges. The church leaders did not like his ideas about helping people. They thought he was too focused on the miners and their needs. Even though he left the church, Van Gogh continued to care about the working class…

Charles Dickens

English literature was one of Van goghs great passions during his time in uk. He loves to read Dickens until his death.

From 1843 to 1848, Charles Dickenswrote a Christmas story almost every year. Instead of telling Bible stories, he wrote about the lives of ordinary people. His most famous work is A Christmas Carol. Other stories include The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man, which are known as Christmas Tales.

1. A Christmas Carol: This story is about a grumpy man named Ebenezer Scrooge. He doesn’t like Christmas and is very mean to everyone. One Christmas Eve, he meets three ghosts. They show him his past, present, and future. Scrooge learns that being kind and loving is important. By the end, he becomes a good person and celebrates Christmas with joy and happiness.

2. The Chimes: The story is about a poor man named Toby who works hard but feels sad. On New Year’s Eve, he hears magical church bells that help him see the good in people. The bells show him that even when life is tough, there is hope and happiness. Toby learns to believe in love and kindness, making his life better.

3. The Cricket on the Hearth: This story is about a happy family that has a little cricket. The cricket sings and brings good luck. The family faces some problems, but they stick together and solve them. In the end, they realise that love and family make them truly happy. The cricket’s song reminds them of their good times together.

4. The Battle of Life: This story is about two siblings, Louisa and Claude. Louisa loves a young man, but she feels she must help her family first. They go through ups and downs, trying to find what makes them happy. In the end, they understand that being true to themselves and caring for each other is what really matters.

5. The Haunted Man: The story follows a sad man named Redlaw who wishes he could forget his painful memories. A ghost helps him lose his memories, but he soon realizes that without them, life feels empty. Redlaw learns that memories, even the sad ones, are important because they make us who we are and remind us of love and happiness.

12 children’s books related to Van Gogh London time

I have always loved making children’s books, and I plan to create different ones for children which focus on Van Gogh’s time in London. Each book will be around 10 pages of writing (front and back), with short writing and more focus on the drawings. I want to work with jürgen Bernhard Kuck, who makes drawings for all the children’s books. The book will be more cute and children’s simple language and also engaging with phantasy.

Here are five simple thoughts; it is still to surface, but it only gives a simple idea.

Book 1: Van Gogh Goes to London

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Van Gogh. He wanted to go on an adventure to a big city called London! He left his parents and moved into a small house there. It was a new place, and Van Gogh was very excited. Every day, he went to a big art gallery. There, he saw many beautiful paintings.

Book 2: Van Gogh Loves to Read

Van Gogh loved to read! In London, he found many good books. One was Dickens’ Stories, which featured brave people and big cities. Every time Van Gogh opened the book, he felt like he was in a magical world. He saw the streets, parks, and rivers of London, and he thought these places were just as beautiful as in the stories!

Book 3: Van Gogh’s love to Eugénie

In London, Van Gogh met a girl named Eugénie in the house. For Van Gogh, Eugénie was very special, and he fell in love with her.

But one day, Eugénie said, “I am engaged to another man.” Van Gogh felt very sad, but he knew that being friends was important too.

Book 4: Van Gogh’s London Walks

Van Gogh loved to walk! Every day, he went to work on feet for 45 minutes. There was green grass, tall trees, river all around.

Sometimes, he walked by the river and watched boats floating on the water. He loved seeing the pretty bridges and tall buildings.

Book 5: Van Gogh’s Thoughts

Van Gogh was a thoughtful boy. He always thought about big questions. He liked to go to church to sit quietly and think. Even though he hadn’t started painting yet….

Performance — London Time Quiz

I plan to create an interactive performance at Van Gogh House in London, featuring 30 engaging quizzes designed to deepen visitors’ understanding of Van Gogh’s time in the city. I will further develop the quizzes to ensure they effectively capture his experiences and impact during this period.

Examples:

1. What is the address of Van Gogh’s residence in London?
2. A) 87 Hackford Road
3. B) 14 Camden Street
4. C) 42 Piccadilly

2. In what year did Van Gogh live at the house on Hackford Road?
3. A) 1873-1875
4. B) 1874-1876
5. C) 1876-1878

3. What was the primary purpose of Van Gogh’s stay in the London house?
4. A) To study art
5. B) To work at Goupil & Co.
6. C) To write letters

4. How did Van Gogh describe his living conditions in London?
5. A) Comfortable and inspiring
6. B) Isolated and lonely
7. C) Crowded and noisy

5. What significant event occurred in Van Gogh’s life while living in London?
6. A) He began to paint full-time
7. B) He developed a love for English literature
8. C) He decided to return to the Netherlands

6. Which famous literary figure did Van Gogh admire while living at the house?
7. A) Oscar Wilde
8. B) Charles Dickens
9. C) William Shakespeare

7. What type of art did Van Gogh focus on during his stay at the house?
8. A) Portraits
9. B) Landscapes
10. C) Everyday scenes

8. What role did Van Gogh’s brother Theo play during his time in London?
9. A) Financial support
10. B) Co-painter
11. C) Correspondent

10. How did Van Gogh’s experiences with the girl in the house affect him?
11. A) Happiness
12. B) Sadness
13. C) Inspiration

11. Which of Van Gogh’s emotions became prominent during his time at the house?
12. A) Happiness
13. B) Anxiety
14. C) Excitement

12. What personal belongings did Van Gogh bring with him to London?
13. A) His paintings
14. B) A few personal items
15. C) His entire studio

13. What was one of the challenges Van Gogh faced while living in London?
14. A) Finding work
15. B) Cultural differences
16. C) Language barriers

…

Performance – Van Gogh Life Timeline Quiz

I want to create an interactive performance that explores Vincent Van Gogh’s life timeline with 100 different events. Participants will engage by filling in the years or events related to his life through a quiz format. This performance aims to deepen the audience’s understanding of his experiences and how they influenced his art.

Examples:

1. _______: Vincent van Gogh was born in Zundert, Netherlands.
   A) 1850
   B) 1853
   C) 1856
2. October 1864: He was sent to _______ for boarding school.
   A) Brussels
   B) London

1. C) Zevenbergen

1. _______: Van Gogh began working at the Goupil art trading company in The Hague, starting his career in art.
   A) 1869
   B) 1871
   C) 1873
2. _______: He was transferred to the London branch of Goupil & Co., where he experienced a love for English culture.
   A) 1871
   B) 1873
   C) 1875
3. _______: Van Gogh was dismissed from Goupil & Co., leading him to explore other interests.
   A) 1874
   B) 1876
   C) 1878
4. November 1878: He served as a missionary in _______.
   A) Belgium
   B) France
   C) England
5. _______: Van Gogh began studying painting in Brussels, heavily influenced by other artists.
   A) 1880
   B) 1882
   C) 1884
6. _______: His father died, a pivotal moment that deeply affected his emotional state and artistic direction.
   A) 1885
   B) 1887
   C) 1889
7. _______: Van Gogh moved to Arles, seeking inspiration and a fresh start in the south of France.
   A) 1886
   B) 1887
   C) 1888
8. _______: He rented the Yellow House in Arles, hoping to create a community for artists.
   A) April 1888
   B) May 1888
   C) June 1888
9. October 1888: Paul Gauguin visited Arles, leading to a _______ collaboration.
   A) Productive
   B) Tumultuous
   C) Brief
10. _______: Van Gogh was admitted to the Arles Hospital after a mental health crisis, highlighting his struggles.
    A) November 1888
    B) December 1888
    C) January 1889
11. May 1889: He moved to _______ where he painted some of his most famous works.
    A) Auvers
    B) Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
    C) Paris
12. _______: Van Gogh shot himself in a field and died two days later, marking a tragic end to his life.
    A) May 1890
    B) July 1890
    C) September 1890

….

a short life timeline of Van Gogh

Until now, I have learned a lot about Van Gogh’s life, and here I would like to create a short life timeline:

March 1853: Born in Zundert, Netherlands.

October 1864: Sent to boarding school.

July 1869: Began working at the Hague branch of the Goupil art trading company.

March 1873: Transferred to the London branch.

May 1875: Transferred to the Paris branch.

January 1876: Dismissed from Goupil & Co.

April 1876: Worked as an assistant at a school in Ramsgate.

November 1876: Briefly transferred to a school in Isleworth, West London, part of his early teaching experience.

January 1877: Began studying theology.

October 1878: Failed entrance exams for theology school.

November 1878: Served as a missionary in Borinage, Belgium.

July 1879: Dismissed from the church for his unorthodox methods.

October 1880: Began studying painting in Brussels, where he was heavily influenced by other artists.

1881-1883: Lived in The Hague and Amsterdam, marking a significant evolution in his artistic style.

1884: Moved back to Newnan to live with his parents.

March 1885: His father died

November 1885: Moved to Antwerp, where he continued to develop his painting skills.

February 1886: Relocated to Paris, immersing himself in the vibrant art scene.

February 1888: Moved to Arles, seeking inspiration and a new beginning.

May 1888: Rented the Yellow House in Arles, where he hoped to create an artist community.

October 1888: Paul Gauguin visited Arles, leading to a tumultuous collaboration.

December 1888: Admitted to the Arles Hospital after a mental health crisis.

May 1889: After leaving the hospital, he moved to the asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where he painted some of his most famous works.

May 1890: Lived with Dr. Gachet in Auvers, continuing to paint prolifically despite his struggles.

July 1890: Shot himself in a field and died two days later

Accompanying the original empty canvas

I plan to place four empty canvases in the Van Gogh House in London, located in the parlor, master bedroom, bedroom, and kitchen. All canvases will be the same size as Van Gogh’s original paintings, and the exhibition will run for 27 days.

Accompanying the original empty canvas, the audience will hear sound descriptions inspired by Van Gogh’s landscape paintings. Visitors will be encouraged to imagine the artworks based on these descriptions. Each day, four new participants will be invited to create their own paintings, reflecting both Van Gogh’s life and their personal experiences. They will be given fresh, empty canvases and up to 8 hours to complete their paintings. The finished works will be displayed in the house daily, and by the end of the show, all participants’ paintings will surround the original empty canvas, which will remain accompanied by sound.

People hear the following examples:

The Red Vineyards near Arles (1888)
Shows a red and orange vineyard glowing under the sunset. Workers are harvesting grapes, and their dark figures stand out against the bright land. In the background, a river reflects the golden light of the sun, and the sky shifts from gold to orange…

The Sower (1888)
A farmer scatters seeds across a golden field at sunset, with a massive glowing sun dominating the sky behind him. The intense yellow and orange hues of the sky contrast with the deep blues and purples of the ground, creating a striking visual effect. The figure of the sower is dark…

Cypresses (1889)
This image features a pair of cypress trees with twisted shapes, dark trunks, and full crowns. The sky is a lively mix of blue and green, with soft rose-white clouds that add depth. The ground has rich colours of deep greens, blue, and white, which complement the trees. In the background, soft green and blue mountains …

Wheat Fields with Reaper at Sunrise (1889)
Shows a golden wheat field glowing in the warm light of dawn. In the foreground, a reaper bends over to harvest the wheat. His figure stands out against the colourful sky, which has unusual green shades and a warm, golden sun…

Sound Installation Concept:

Objects cannot be seen; only their voices can be heard. I want to create a sound installation throughout Van Gogh House, where visitors will listen to sounds without seeing the objects. Each invisible trance speaks about itself, connected to this house and Van Gogh between 1873 and 1874 as he lived here.

Old Shoes:
We are the shoes trance that carried Van Gogh through the streets of London when he lived in this house. Though you can’t see us now, we walked alongside him every day—from Hackford Road to Westminster Bridge, through Hyde Park, and on his way to the Gallery… We felt his excitement as he explored the city, finding beauty in everyday life. Each step was filled with curiosity, and we were with him every moment, walking, discovering, and dreaming together.

Floor:
Hello! We experienced Van Gogh’s life in this house. Though you can’t see Van Gogh’s trance now, we once carried every step and dream of his while he was in London. He was so excited because of his love for the girl in the house, and we heard him happily jumping around, his steps making many different sounds; we could feel his emotions. While he wrote letters to Theo, we could hear him speaking to himself.

Religion book

I am the religion book that belonged to Van Gogh. I have been with him since his childhood, providing wisdom, inspiration, and guidance for life. Though you can’t see me, I was an important part of his daily life. Van Gogh read me thoughtfully and prayed, seeking comfort and direction in my pages. Each word held his thoughts and spiritual journeys as he faced the challenges of life and art. In times of doubt, I was there to comfort him, sharing truths that connected with his soul.

Bett

I am the bed where Van Gogh rested. Each night, I supported him as he dreamed of art and love. Though you can’t see me now, I witnessed his struggles and triumphs. I felt his hopes and fears as he turned in search of peace. In my embrace, he wrote letters and sketched ideas, putting his heart into every creation. I quietly witnessed his journey, holding his dreams and worries…

There are around 12 different stations in the installation.

Objects speaking at Van Gogh House

I want to do one art project related to different objects discovered in the house speaking. Each object will be placed in its original location within the house.

Using hidden speakers or interactive displays to trigger the “speaking” when visitors approach or interact with the objects.

In this way, people can experience the stories of the objects, learn about this house, and meet the people who lived there. Also, one learned about Van Gogh’s life in London.

—object: Insurance Policy

I am so happy Family Wang bought this house, and they repaired this house for more than 7 years. You can see me today; you should thanks to this family. I am the 1873 insurance policy for Ursula Loyer. This document records the condition of the house where Van Gogh stayed. The house was valued at £100, and the insurance cost 3 shillings and 6 pence.”

—-Object: Prayer Book

I am an old 1867 prayer book that once belonged to Ursula. Van Gogh might have read me because he became an evangelical Christian during his stay in London.

—-Object: Old Newspaper

I am an old newspaper from the late 1940s, used as lining under the floorboards. I’m delighted to have helped preserve the original condition of Van Gogh’s bedroom floor for many years. My presence offers valuable insights for those researching this historic space.

—-Object: Watercolor Paper

I am an old piece of watercolour paper found under the floorboards in Van Gogh’s bedroom. Eugenie, Ursula’s daughter, likely does the flower illustrations.

—-Object: Paper Bundle:

I am a crumpled bundle of paper found under the floorboards. These fragile documents may have been essential files deliberately hidden for preservation.

If possible, I also like to let people interact with each object and feel all the objects.

Why he left the house at 87 Hackford Road in London

Vincent lived at 87 Hackford Road in London in 1873. He was just 20 years old and working as a young art dealer. At first, he enjoyed his time there. He loved walking around the city, visiting museums, and exploring many things. But over time, things changed. He became unhappy with his job and started to feel lonely. In the end, he went back home to the Netherlands.

There is no clear historical answer regarding why he left 87 Hackford Road in London. People often mention his feelings for his landlord’s daughter, Eugenie. This unfulfilled love might have caused him deep sadness.

I want to create an art project related to why he left this house in London:

In his early days in London, Vincent was full of curiosity and love for the city. However, as time went on, he might have felt lonely and homesick.

Van Gogh worked as an art dealer in London but grew to dislike it. The job didn’t fit his character or his artistic goals. He was seeking a more meaningful life. His frustration with the job and his desire to create might be why he decided to leave London.

It’s also possible that the people around him at work did not like him.

His growing interest in religion and his desire for a more meaningful life might have influenced his decision to leave. He was quiet and sensitive, and he might have been uncomfortable with London’s busy industrial environment. He was also upset that he had always seen so many poor people and that the gap between rich and poor was so big.

Being young and seeking adventure.

He might have had health problems that made it difficult for him to stay in London. He may also have financial issues, be unhappy with his personal life, or perhaps the city was too big for him…

Hi, I Would like to Know You

Van Gogh’s house offers walking tours on the last Saturday and Sunday of each month, virtual tours, and private tours.

In Walking Tours, the House works with the partnership Footprints of London. They offer a tour that retraces Van Gogh’s daily route from Covent Garden to his lodgings at Hackford Road, giving a glimpse into what London was like in the early 1870s.
“visitors have an opportunity to learn about our most famous tenant, as well as the architecture, history, and future of the house. We provide a unique insight into Van Gogh’s everyday existence in Victorian London, as well as a glimpse into the way ordinary people lived. Tours last about an hour and fifteen minutes and include a short walk to set our local context. Tickets cost £12, with discounts for Friends and students…” —Van Gogh house

I am curious about the visitors to Van Gogh’s house, so I would like to frame my QR code from Instagram as an artwork (about A4 big and framed in red or yellow) that has been appearing in the Van Gogh house in Downstairs for one year. People can scan the QR code, and then they can directly contact me. I very much like making multi-dimensional Netzwerks in real-life situations.

After we get in contact, we will make an appointment through social media to get to know each other better, such as our lives, our work, and our living area. Very importantly, we will have a dialogue about Van Gogh during our online meeting. We may also leave a trace as a memory on Instagram with text, images, or video.

Paintings inspired by Van Gogh’s letters

Notices:

“There is a great fire in me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.”

“I know nothing for certain, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

 

“Normality is a paved road: It’s easy to walk on, but no flowers grow on it.”

 

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”

 

“I have put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.”

 

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”

…

These days, I read many of Van Gogh’s letters to Theo and try to write some of them down. I really need to take more time to delve into Van Gogh’s letters and focus on his emotional states, thoughts, colours, and artistic philosophies. I would like to use these writings, which are also related to my life experience, to make paintings.

Each painting is around 40X40 cm.

Making 10 groups, each with two paintings. After I finish them, I would like to arrange the paintings in Van Gogh’s house based on the available spaces, creating a journey through different inside rooms, corners, and outside spaces. After completing each painting, I would like to make a short piece of music that reflects the mood and emotion of the two paintings from the group. The music can be soft, contemplative, or dynamic, and also like a dialogue between two paintings. Possibly using speakers or headphones to accompany each group painting.

A small library built in a corner will provide more information about each painting.

Light Art from 87 Hackford Road to Trafalgar Square

In May 1873, Van Gogh moved to London to work at the city’s branch of the international art dealers Goupil & Cie. He lived at 87 Hackford Road. Each day went to work by walking.

I would like to make light art with different colours along the whole Van Gogh walking route to his work, using Van Gogh’s handwriting letters to make the quotes design. People can also listen to music the entire way, which is extra for this light art project.

The route has a very long light line with his different period quotes. The whole way takes around 45 minutes to walk.

1. Start at 87 Hackford Road
2. Walk to Kennington Park
3. Continue to Hyde Park
4. Proceed to Westminster Bridge
5. From Vauxhall Bridge, walk along the Thames River to Trafalgar Square
6. Finish at the gallery near Trafalgar Square, where Van Gogh worked

Along the route, selected quotes from Van Gogh’s letters will be integrated into the light art, for example:

Starting with maybe “I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it” at Hackford Road;

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together” at Kennington Park;

“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people” at Hyde Park;

“What is done in love is done well” at Westminster Bridge;

“The more I think about it, the more I realise there is nothing more artistic than to love others” at Vauxhall Bridge.

The final display at Trafalgar Square will celebrate Van Gogh’s work with a glowing tribute to his time at the gallery.

That is exactly the quote design. I need to learn more about all the areas, …

Light art inspired by Van Gogh sentences

Van Gogh has always touched me deeply with his diligence, focus, passion, and encouragement…

I want to create Van Gogh-inspired light art either in the Van Gogh House or along the entire street where the house is located, even on his way to the gallery where he worked.

But in this diary, I want only to write some thoughts about creating light art in the Van Gogh House. The lights will be adjustable in each space.

For me, Van Gogh has another very important side—I feel he is a very cute person; therefore, because of Van Gogh’s this side, all the lights designed will be cute and playful, like children’s writing or drawing.

I want to display the writing, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together,” in one area downstairs, which Ursula used for children’s lessons in 1873. In the neighbouring room, it says, “I hope to one day tell children about the beauty of this world,” to encourage children to explore and appreciate the beauty around them. The lighting will be adjustable, allowing for changing colours and a lovely atmosphere.

In the artist’s studio, I would like to hang the writing “I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it” on the wall. I really like this sentence, and it always encourages me.

In the bedroom, I could put “I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.” Soft, quiet, and peaceful lighting would create a relaxing atmosphere.
….

I still need to think more about which sentence goes in which space and also about the light colour design and how height and so on.

Vincent intelligentsia

I am inquisitive why Vincent is like intelligentsia. Today, I tried to return more of his letters, and I noticed some of the following:

When Vincent was 19, he worked at an art dealer’s shop called Goupil & Cie in The Hague. His boss, H.G. Tersteeg, was very important to him. Tersteeg taught Vincent a lot about art and introduced him to many artists. This helped Vincent and his brother Theo learn about art and literature and prepare to interact with important art collectors.

Art was very important to Vincent. From 1869 to 1876, he worked with art, visited museums, read about artists, and collected art prints. Art was more than just a job for him; it gave him a sense of purpose and energy. In 1885, he wrote that he often thought about the “human character” behind each piece of art, inspired by the writer Emile Zola.

In a letter from London in January 1874, Vincent writes to Theo, saying he is glad Theo likes artists like Millet and others. Vincent believes art is rich and poetic, and he wishes they could talk about it more. He encourages Theo to find beauty in everything, as many people do not see enough of it.

Vincent lists many painters (Scheffer, Delaroche, Hébert, Tissot, Millais, Israëls, Corot, Daubigny, Maris, Mauve, and many others.)

He admires and believes that loving nature helps people understand art better.

He also mentions enjoying London:
Things are going well for me here. I have a wonderful home, and it’s a great pleasure for me to observe London and the English way of life and the English themselves. I also have nature, art, and poetry. Vincent’s deep thoughts about art, his respect for artists, and his belief in the connection between nature and art show why he is seen as someone who thinks deeply, like an intellectual.

A poem from Van Goghs letter London, July 20, 1873

He also enclosed the poem about the painter “Going into the Swan Inn” with this letter.

This poem, “The Evening Hour” by Jan van Beers, captures a peaceful, picturesque moment in the countryside as the day transitions into evening:

The poem talks about a peaceful evening in a village. When the bell rings to mark the end of the day, everyone in the village stops what they are doing. The poem shows how quiet and calm the village becomes as the sun goes down.

The bell, the windmill, and the smoke add to the still and peaceful feeling.

The artist, who has been painting all day, begins to pack up his things and head back to the village. He stops several times to appreciate the beautiful view of the village below, bathed in the colours of the sunset. As he walks, he observes the quiet life of the village, including cows returning to the shed and people making their way home.

The poem also shows a fun scene with a wagon full of fresh buckwheat, decorated with ribbons, moving down the road. Kids with flower crowns are happily celebrating, making the evening even more joyful.
As the artist reflects on the simple joys and the beauty of the moment, he enters the inn, “The Swan,” where he is staying. The poem ends with the night settling in and the moon rising, completing the day’s cycle.

Even though Vincent didn’t write the poem, it talks about things he liked to paint. The poem shows scenes of country life, just like the paintings of him made of the countryside.

-—-I also learned that ‘very Brabant style’ refers to a traditional way of doing things in the Brabant area in the Netherlands. This style is known for its special features in art, buildings, and design. For example, in art, might include detailed pictures, bright colours, and scenes from everyday life.

Van Goghs letter London, July 20, 1873

Finally, I’ve returned to the Van Gogh House in London.

Initially, I thought I needed to focus on creating some work, but I feel I still have too little knowledge about Van Gogh’s time in London.

As a result, it’s most important to reread Van Gogh’s letters from his time in London.

Some of his letters from this period are more difficult to understand than those written after he became an artist. There is a lot of information, and it’s actually very interesting, even though I can’t check all the details at the moment.

On the letter London, July 20, 1873, he mentioned many people and art works:

Mr. Obach…
The painting by Linder…
Regarding photo-engraving….
Millais’ The Huguenot and Ophelia …
Boughton’s Early Puritans Going to Church…
Turner’s prints…
some French painters there, like Tissot, Otto Weber,…
Weissenbruch’s portrait of the mill…

Also, van Gogh asked Theo if there were any paintings by Wauters, Leghe, or De Braekeleer. Especially Henri De Braekeleer’s Antwerp, The School, and The Atlas.

He always missed the times he and Theo spent in The Hague, especially the moments they had milk at the mill…”
From the reading, I got to know there what happened:
Both of them talked about the idea of becoming painters together.
Vincent later wrote: “I know that we both thought about becoming painters when we were younger, but we didn’t say it out loud. It seems that in these later years, we might grow closer together.” He also recalled: “I see us as brothers in the early years – when you were just starting with painting and reading – by the mill in Rijswijk.”

Very interesting!

Traces on the wood floor of Van Gogh House in London

Van Gogh House is a non-profit art centre in South London. It is in the same building where young Vincent Van Gogh lived from 1873 to 1874.

Opened in 2019, the house is not just a museum but a place for art. It hosts art shows, artist residencies, and events. This helps artists today make a living from their work.

The house, at 87 Hackford Road, was built in the 1820s. By 2012, it was very old and falling apart.

James Wang and Alice Childs bought it and fixed it up. They wanted to keep it as a home, not just a museum. They worked for seven years to restore it carefully.
The house opened again in the summer of 2019. It now has a small team that works to support Van Gogh’s work and help new artists.

The house has art residencies in spring and summer, an extensive exhibition and events in autumn, and tours at the end of each month.

Van Gogh House is run by a Community Interest Company (CIC). It also manages San Mei Gallery, which is a short walk away. Alice Childs is the director, and she, her husband James, and their daughters have helped make the house and gallery into the art spaces they are today.

Van Gogh house includes Entrance Hall, Ursula Loyer’s Room, Van Gogh’s room, studio, library, kitchen, bad, and garden:

This building has many wooden floors. I’m thinking of placing some of Van Gogh’s letters from his time in London on a single wooden floor in each room( maybe in large room two). The letters all show his positive and excited side.

Like “I spend very pleasantly walking, reading and writing letters”,

“The neighbourhood where I live is beautiful and so peaceful and convivial”,

“In front of every house is a small garden with flowers or a couple of trees”,

“In every part of the city, there are splendid parks with a wealth of flowers.”
….

Of course, I need to speak with the organisation in Van Gogh House about how to put the word “floor.”

20240831

artists traces in Van Gogh house in London

Van Gogh House encourages artists to create “traces”—special items or artworks that show their time living and working at the house.

A trace can be anything, like a mark, an object, or a piece of art, and it becomes part of the Van Gogh House collection. These traces can be found all around the house, such as doorstops, curtains, and bookmarks, each with its own story to tell.

Nina Glockner and Sachi Miyachi have made several traces, including a wooden door wedge with a quote from Vincent’s letters carved into it and a “FIND | TIME medal” made as a keyring for the house’s garden and studio keys. They also made a stamp with Vincent’s usual sign-off, “Adieu, I wish you well,” from his letters and a set of 17 cards with advice Vincent gave his younger brother, Theo.

Another artwork called “The Times” is about the idea of “time” and includes some of Vincent’s newspaper clippings. They also made a drawing called “Van Gogh’s Bedroom Feng Shui”, which explores the Feng Shui of his old bedroom. Clémentine Bedos created “The Astrologer-Poet Bookmarks,” which are inspired by poetry and astrology. Rachel Jones made hand-dyed and embroidered curtains featuring toys of James Wigmore. Sachi Miyachi also made a tube of paint from plaster taken from the bathroom cupboard, which future artists at Van Gogh House can use in their art.

It is fascinating! These traces, along with many others, are on display at Van Gogh House. They add new stories, such as Van Gogh and the house, among them.

I can imagine making two Chairs from Van Gogh’s painting in his bedroom in Arles. He did this after his friend Paul Gauguin left following a big fight. One chair shows Van Gogh’s style with bright colours and a pipe. The other chair shows Gauguin’s style with dark colours, books, and a candle. Van Gogh painted the empty chairs to show sadness and loss, which was influenced by Charles Dickens’ empty chair.

I will think about where the two chairs should be in the house.

Flying—going on Yingmei performance in Braunschweig

Today, I saw Yingmei working with five different women, and they all look like the people in Van Gogh’s Sien drawings.

The space is dimly lit, and it feels very cold, like winter.

One woman is sitting in a chair with her hand resting on her head, looking thoughtful. Another woman is sitting in a corner on the floor, deep in thought. The third woman is making a very long piece of cloth that stretches from her door out into the space. The fourth woman is walking around with something in her hands. When people look up, they can see the fifth woman staring off into space, looking blank.

If people get close to them, they can also hear the inner sounds of the women—soft sighs, quiet movements, and the gentle rustling of the cloth. These sounds add to the feeling of the cold, winter-like atmosphere…

….

Flying—Yingmei performance in Braunschweig

I am flying I am flying,.. now I am in another day,

I’m flying … I see a church in the space. But this church is a special installation—only the top part is above the ground. Two-thirds of the church is hidden underground. The whole space also has dim lights arranged.

People usually never see a church’s high parts, but here, they can clearly see the tall tower and beautiful decorations. However, the benches, colourful windows, paintings, and Jesus sculpture on the wall inside the church are mostly low, with much of them buried underground.

Visitors can see Yingmei sitting in the church, gently touching each tomb with her hand and body, expressing different feelings—sometimes melancholy, sometimes questioning. Each tomb is unique in height and angle, but all are inscribed with the same name: Vincent Van Gogh…

—I’m flying, I’m flying, and I’m in a new day again. Today, I see a big hole in the space.

The hole is about 7 meters high. Visitors can see Yingmei move up and down in it. She starts from the bottom, goes up high, then comes back down, and rises again. Yingmei appears like an ordinary working-class person. Each time she goes up, she breathes in deeply, then breathes out, and then comes down.

People can only move through a path move; each time one person passes the hole, Yingmei will be high and breathe in and then out. The space smells a bit of coal, and in the background, one can hear a working noise. Each time people get close to Yingmei, the space becomes very quiet; the only light in the space is the dim lamp light…

Flying—yingmei sunflower playing

For more than 15 years, the exhibition space became her studio and living space, both before and after shows. She liked to try new things and experiment with her art. She often said that art is so big and exciting that we don’t need always to show the same work.

She likes to stay in a creative state and let her keep working. She constantly trains herself and always tries to create new artworks whenever possible to develop her changing exhibition. She often says, “Art is very big, and we can do all kinds of things by playing with art.” She also often says, “Changing can bring big passion,”

…

I’m flying into Yingmei’s performance. Today, she is performing with five different groups of sunflowers, which inspired paintings by Van Gogh. Each group is set up as a display, and visitors can see these five performances all day.

For six hours, Yingmei moves from one sunflower to the next.

Now, we see Yingmei’s performance inspired by the 1887 Sunflowers in Paris. Yingmei is lying on her tummy on a blue floor. One sunflower seems shy, moving slowly and looking around as if a bit scared but curious.

Another sunflower is full of energy, jumping around and trying to get closer to the shy one. When they meet, they play together happily…

Next, Yingmei is inside a big vase with bright sunflowers. At first, it’s very calm. People can hear soft sounds as she gently touches the flowers inside the vase. As time goes by, Yingmei plays with the flowers in the vase more. She makes small moves with one sunflower, then another, and sometimes a few at a time—the whole moving. It looks like she’s making music with the flowers. The sounds change with her play, and visitors get different feelings. In the end, the sounds become softer and quieter, and everything is calm again…

I am flying…Yingmei and her changing exhibitions

I am flying, I am flying… Now, I see Yingmei myself performing. For Van Gogh exhibition, Yingmei has been invited to perform.
She has carefully selected 60 different artworks—drawings, paintings, and charcoal sketches—from various periods of Van Gogh’s life. Based on these artworks, each performance is uniquely developed. Yingmei has dedicated over a year of hard work to prepare for this new performance project.
Each day from 11:00 to 17:00, Yingmei performs—sometimes alone, sometimes with people from different cultures. Her performances involve sound, video, painting, and installation.

I am flying, I am flying… At the entrance, visitors can read about me:

In 2003, Yingmei performed for 26 days at OKS Gallery in Braunschweig, creating a new performance each day.

In 2005, she created a large performance installation with 14 rooms in a building in Braunschweig and tried changing the 14 rooms with paper each day for a few weeks.

In 2007, In the performance project “Performance-Painting / Dialogue with 33 Performance Artists”, she created 33 paintings inspired by their performances.

In 2012, Yingmei performed “Happy Yingmei” at Hayward Gallery in London for three months, performing for six to eight hours each day.

In 2014, Yingmei created an art project at Hexiangning Museum in China. For three months, she made different sounds each day. Visitors entered a 15 m² room with soft, dim lighting. Instead of seeing artworks, they only heard sounds from speakers, with each sound helping them imagine what the artwork might look like. Every day during the whole show time, a new sound played in the room. Yingmei named this kind of art project ‘Changing Exhibitions. The meaning is that her artwork develops and changes throughout the exhibition.

Tomorrow going on…

Flying –Van Gogh’s letters in Braunschweig
I am flying, I am flying… Now I am in a building. Here, visitors will find something special—an exploration of Van Gogh’s letters through Sound Art.

There are audio stations in different spaces in the building. In these letters, Van Gogh shared his inner world with Theo—his thoughts, struggles, feelings, and dreams. Through these sounds, visitors can also sense Van Gogh’s emotions as he wrote.

Each space is painted in different colors and has varied lighting. Braunschweig’s orchestra plays live music in each space, and five composers create pieces based on different periods of Van Gogh’s artwork.

This sound exhibition takes you through different periods of Van Gogh’s life, revealing his emotional journey, artistic inspiration, and deepest thoughts. It helps people see Van Gogh not only as a great artist but also as a deeply emotional and thoughtful individual.

In the early period (1872-1880), Before Van Gogh became an artist, his letters explored religion and life, reflecting uncertainty about his future. This space is painted with warm earth tones, dim lighting, and features classical music.

During the Paris period (1886-1888), Van Gogh’s art evolved significantly during this time. His letters reflect his feelings about Impressionist artists and his search for his own style. This space uses vibrant mixed colors, bright natural lighting, and music inspired by Impressionism.

During the Arles period (1888-1889), Van Gogh was at his most creative but also struggled with his mental health. In this space, one hears about how his emotions constantly change while also feeling very lonely and in pain. The space is filled with a warm yellow colour, golden lighting, and expressive music.

In the Saint-Rémy period (1889-1890), a mental hospital, Van Gogh continued to create deeply personal art. This space has deep blue, soft lighting, and music by composers like Chopin or Satie, reflecting complex feelings.

In Auvers-sur-Oise, In Van Gogh’s final years, his letters reveal deep sadness and a strong commitment to art. This space is with rich earth tones, muted blues, soft lighting, and emotionally reflective music.

flying to the bedroom of Van Gogh’s yellow house

I am flying, I am flying. It is daytime, and the sun is high in the sky.

Surprisingly, I now see Van Gogh’s yellow house in the heart of Braunschweig, near the historic Magni Church. It looks like a dream that his yellow house is right here in Braunschweig!

Its bright yellow colour really stands out. The house is painted in the same warm yellow as in Van Gogh’s painting. It is not just a regular building, and its shape is a bit unusual, which makes it very interesting.

I am flying close to the yellow house now, and looking through the windows; I can see the furniture that seems to come straight out of it. The table is very big and stretches from inside the house out onto the street, making it look like part of the sidewalk, too.

Outside, I can also see a chair sticking out a little bit. The chair makes me think about the art and stories behind the house.

As I fly around the house, I’m even more surprised to see part of Van Gogh’s bed sticking out from the walls on the other side.

All these pieces of furniture emerging from the house make it look like a living piece of art, sparking imagination and wonder.

As I get closer again, I see more exciting details. Around the windows, parts of Van Gogh-style paintings seem to stretch out from the house. The walls have bright paint splashes, like Van Gogh’s brushstrokes.

In one corner of the house, there’s a small garden with flowers like sunflowers and irises, just like those in Van Gogh’s paintings.

In the sunlight, from every side, the house has a special charm, as if it brings Van Gogh’s art to life.

flying to the bedroom of Van Gogh’s yellow house

I am flying, I am flying. It is daytime, and the sun is high in the sky.

Surprisingly, I now see Van Gogh’s yellow house in the heart of Braunschweig, near the historic Magni Church. It looks like a dream that his yellow house is right here in Braunschweig!

Its bright yellow colour really stands out. The house is painted in the same warm yellow as in Van Gogh’s painting. It is not just a regular building, and its shape is a bit unusual, which makes it very interesting.

I am flying close to the yellow house now, and looking through the windows; I can see the furniture that seems to come straight out of it. The table is very big and stretches from inside the house out onto the street, making it look like part of the sidewalk, too.

Outside, I can also see a chair sticking out a little bit. The chair makes me think about the art and stories behind the house.

As I fly around the house, I’m even more surprised to see part of Van Gogh’s bed sticking out from the walls on the other side.

All these pieces of furniture emerging from the house make it look like a living piece of art, sparking imagination and wonder.

As I get closer again, I see more exciting details. Around the windows, parts of Van Gogh-style paintings seem to stretch out from the house. The walls have bright paint splashes, like Van Gogh’s brushstrokes.

In one corner of the house, there’s a small garden with flowers like sunflowers and irises, just like those in Van Gogh’s paintings.

In the sunlight, from every side, the house has a special charm, as if it brings Van Gogh’s art to life.

flying meet van Gogh still-life and nature park in Braunschweig at night
I am flying, I am flying… Now, I am in Braunschweig Castle outside the area at night. Below, I see many large screens arranged in different shapes—circles, lines, and more. Oh, and there are all different still-life paintings from Van Gogh.
I am flying to one of the shapes. As I fly closer, I notice ten different screens (each 2 x 2 meters) showing Van Gogh’s still-life paintings of flowers. Because of the large screen, each painting on the screen is very big. Each painting is vibrant and colourful, enhanced by special effects. Sometimes, the flowers in one screen seem to talk to each other, like happily chatting, arguing, or fighting. Occasionally, a flower moves from one screen to another screen, creating new and surprising combinations. The entire display is accompanied by soft, pleasant and playful music, and people can lie on the soft sofa inside the circle installation and enjoy all the flower paintings.
I am flying, and now I am in the nature reserve Riddagshausen in Braunschweig. Many people visit the show at night. Here, people can see Van Gogh’s different paintings come to life through the projections placed here. Around 20 famous paintings appear here, each placed in a specific spot in the park, where the art blends naturally with the surroundings.

The ‘Wheatfield with Crows’ projected into the large open field with tall grass creates an effect where the crows seem to be flying through the tall grass, which moves with the wind.
“Road with Cypress and Star” projected onto the Pathway with Trees:
This painting will be projected along a pathway surrounded by tall trees, creating the feeling that visitors are walking within the artwork, with stars softly twinkling above them.

Flying – meet van Gogh’s colour in Braunschweig

I am flying. I am flying. Now, I am in Braunschweig at night. From up high, I can see many red lights moving in different curves everywhere. I am very curious and close to see: oh, different groups of people are riding bikes.

I am following one group along the famous Oker River in Braunschweig, which flows through the entire city.
Wow, the water is full of colors! I see many of Van Gogh’s paintings appearing on the Oker River. They are shown on the water using special technology. About 100 different paintings are lined up along the big river. All of them are from the 10 years when Van Gogh was creating his art.

I am flying, I am flying… The flowing water keeps these paintings alive, making them appear as if they are moving. Oh, I see it! I see the bridge in Arles, his yellow house, the night café, The Starry Night, and the golden waves of Wheatfield reappearing on the river at night…

People go along the riverbank, admiring these “canvases” on the water, and feel how the fusion of light and water gives new life to Van Gogh’s works.
I am flying; colourful light markers are placed along the riverbank paths. These markers show classic colours from Van Gogh’s paintings, like deep blue, bright yellow, and vibrant green. Visitors can follow these markers to explore Van Gogh’s range of colours.
I am flying, I am flying… Several bridges in Braunschweig will turn into light and shadow bridges. The lights on these bridges will show different colours from Van Gogh’s paintings at different times of the day. In the morning, the lights will be soft and gentle, and at night, they will be deep and dark.

In the book Irving Stone: Your Solo Show at Theos apartment
You removed all the images from the walls and the drawings from the drawer. You even pulled out the piles of paintings from under the furniture. You carefully organised them by time. Then, you picked the drawings and paintings that best showed the landscapes you had made.

You hung three of your earliest drawings in the hallway near the apartment door. These images depicted miners coming out of the mine, working, or sitting at a table in their modest homes.
Next, you moved on to the other rooms and chose to decorate the bathroom. You placed charcoal drawings of farmers from Brabant on all four walls.

You put pencil sketches in the kitchen, including the first images of the wood yard, sand dunes, and fishermen on the beach.

You brought the painting “The Potato Eaters” into the small room—the first oil painting in which your own style showed. You covered the other walls with twenty pictures of the weavers from Nuenen, farmers in mourning, the cemetery behind his father’s church, and the church tower.

You hung the paintings from your time in Paris in Theo’s bedroom—the same ones you had put up on the walls in Theo’s apartment before he left for Arles.

You decorated the living room with bright paintings from Arles.

Finally, you put the paintings you had done in St. Rémy in Theo’s bedroom.

After you finished, you invited Theo and his wife to visit your solo show together. As they walked through the rooms, they saw how much you loved art and how your work had slowly changed over time. Each room showed pieces of your life and feelings, from hard work to deep emotions. They could feel your passion in every drawing and painting, making the visit a special journey through your world of art.

Artworks and letters von Van Gogh in Theo‘s apartment

I was very touched when you were at Theo’s house in France during your time in the hospital. And you finally met Theo’s wife and his little son Vincent.
I felt very moved when you suddenly found out so many artworks and letters from you at Theo.
I quite like Irving Stone’s description, and I read it a few times:
In the dining room, there was “The Potato Eaters” above the mantelpiece.
In the living room, there was “Landscape of Arles” and a night view of the Rhône.
In the bedroom, there were tree blossoms. Under the beds, under the sofa, in the pantry, and big piles in the closet—there were unframed pictures of your artworks.
On Theo’s desk, you found big bundles of letters tied together. They were your letters, and you were amazed to see them. Theo had kept all your letters for twenty years, from when you left Zundert for Goupil in The Hague. There were seven hundred letters.
You also found your drawings on the desk, which Theo had kept for ten years. They were all sorted by time.
There were drawings of miners and their wives in Borinage, diggers and sowers in fields near Etten, old people in The Hague, diggers in the Geest, and fishermen in Scheveningen. There were also drawings of weavers and potato eaters in Nuenen, cafes and streets in Paris, early sketches of sunflowers, blossoming trees in Arles, and the garden in St. Rémy.
You were so excited and trying to make your own solo show in Theo’s apartment. Such beautiful writing here from the writer.

I am flying – 3

I am flying, I am flying, and time is passing very quickly. Now I am in the future, and am 65 years old. I already have very bad health and look very old. I am sitting on a sofa. I live alone with my dog, who speaks to me sometimes. It appears that I will probably die sometime in the near future.
I try to stand up from the sofa, it takes me around 5 minutes. Then I try to move towards the door. On the walls you can see many framed photographs from my youth time.
Before I went out to buy some food, I almost forgot to switch off the gas. It seemed that I was losing my memory. When I go down the stairs, I have to hold the handrail in order not to fall down.

I often meet young people on the way to the shops. I can hear them talking about me “This old woman, why is she still alive?”

The young people do not like me any more, and nobody looks at me. Nobody has any sexual interest in me.

A small girl stares at me with curiosity.

From the church I hear wedding music, and then see the married couple, lucky in life and love.
A very old couple waves at me. I smile at them, suddenly it becomes dark in front of my eyes, and …

When I wake up, some people wearing white clothes take me to the hospital. They tell me that I have a mental illness, and I should be cured. I try to let them know that I am normal, but they do not listen, and instead take me to a space where there are many strange people. It seems like a dream but somehow I like it here very much!

An old woman holding a balloon walks towards a bridge. The balloon starts to become heavy. While she is smiling she lets me and some others help her.

Another man always takes his luggage with him everywhere he goes. A voice comes from one of the bags and it keeps singing ”boring life, boring life…”

Behind me one woman stares blankly into the distance.

I am flying -2

I am flying… I am flying… into a strange city. I can’t see the city very clearly as there are many clouds. In the distance I see many naked men on the street and they are moving towards me – they are very tall. I am afraid so I hide inside the luggage and they do not see me. They are going through me.

I am flying. Now the sky becomes dark, and I want to sleep. I dream that I can’t sleep, and after midnight I find myself in the street. I have lost my memory, and I try to find my way home. I try to remember what happened.
“I meet a girl who wants to swap ages with me…”

In the street I meet a very old woman, who is nice and smiling and asks me if I can change ages with her. She offers to take me home if I agree. I remember many skeletons dancing around me.

I am flying, I am flying. I hear very loud sounds and see a horrific scene. I see raw meat everywhere. Everything is moving slowly.
On the four walls there are big sculptures of Buddha, Jesus, Kuan Yin and Mohammad. Meat is hanging from the roof, some raw meat is crawling in from the windows, some from the mouth of Jesus, some from the shoulder of Buddha, some moving towards Mohammad.

Televisions are placed in a circle. From them we can see and hear many different and terrible voices.
On this TV monitor, we see a scene of pollution. We hear the noise from motorcycles, cars and trains. It gives us the feeling that we are always on the road like there is no final destination.

On another monitor we can see many high-rise buildings, they are moving from one side to the other.

On this monitor, we see a lot of people who are in the stock market. They are anxiously watching the numbers from the big screen.

Here, there is a philosopher, an astronomer, a scientist, and a physicist on the monitor. They all look like they are mentally ill. They have thrown out their own research, and instead they are all studying love.

Dream of a small mouse

I dream I am a small mouse, curious about the world, and I want to know how other creatures live.

My parents always take care of me, and tell me not to leave our home because human beings do not like us. Since my birth I have not seen the outside world. “What is the outside world like?”

A weekend in winter. It is very cold, and icy. I decide to leave my home, on the way the atmosphere is very quiet, and the weather very dark.
I feel afraid and move around very carefully. I hear the sound of dogs “Woof woof…” I also see some cats that are looking for something. I begin to regret leaving my home and try to return. But I lost my way and I can not find it anymore.

I hide under a rubbish bin. From there I can see many things. I see many pretty girls wearing very sexy dresses pass by. I see their underwear, and their breasts are barely hidden under their bras.
After a while some small boys notice me, then they all try to trample on me. I run very fast, feeling out of breath.

Some other young people appear in front of me, and they try to throw bottles at me. I feel nervous and manage to escape onto the street. There are many taxis driving around and a big black car almost runs me over. I manage to get away just in time, however a burning cigarette hits me, and my skin is a little burnt.

I go to a bar where very loud rock and roll music is playing. The place smells very bad and is busy. People are laughing, loudly speaking, and drinking around me.
In another space I see many people dancing so I hide under a table for a while so that no one can stand on me. When I look up, I see many men kissing, and some people are having sex.

I go into the kitchen, and there is a fat man with a big knife. When he sees me he starts to follow me and tries to throw hot water over me. At that moment I smile kindly at him, and he lets me go. Then he changes his mind, catches me with his hands and throws me out of the kitchen.

Bluebell Children’s Hospice -2

I interacted with people at the hospice on a daily basis but also arranged appointments with different families where she sat down and chatted about their own lives and the life of their child, including themes such as childhood, family holidays etc.
During this time I also helped some of them make simple drawings to illustrate their stories. It was my intention that these sessions allowed people the chance to talk about their feelings and learn about their hopes and fears for their children and hopefully for everyone to learn more about each other.

If some children were unable to take part in the physical aspects of the collaboration, I tried to get them to participate in other ways. It was important that these sessions were productive and therapeutically useful and to make the time together stimulating to all the senses and fun.

As well as the parents and children I also spent time with the staff. The staff are an important part of the hospice and they have met and experienced the lives of many of the children. I wanted them to have the opportunity to talk about their past experiences and children whom they have built strong bonds with.

Observing, helping, talking and researching were all important parts of this project. I made 24 paintings in cooperation with different families and staff; these became a visual legacy for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice. In addition I made two children’s fairy tale books inspired by all the different children I met there.

Bluebell Children’s Hospice

Reflecting on Van Gogh’s health problem, I remembered a performance project that I did at Bluebell Children’s Hospice in the UK in 2010. This project was a collaboration with the hospice. For this project, I planned to work as both an artist and a volunteer. I wanted to develop my performance project in the area of charity.

Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice provides care for children with life-limiting conditions, offering a comforting space for them and their families to relax and enjoy themselves for a short time. Parents can rest from their daily care of children.

During my seven weeks there, I met over 50 different families. In such a short time, I met so many people, and I even sometimes dreamt of people flying around.
I have encountered many cute children. They mostly did not understand spoken language, but they all responded very well to sound, which was very interesting for them as a particular language.
The children often faced severe health challenges, such as birth defects, genetic diseases, brain issues, or muscle problems, requiring constant care from their parents.

For example, One boy would never stand because of a spinal issue from birth. One beautiful small girl suffered from frequent epilepsy seizures. I also met one girl who had almost no reaction sitting on a roll chair, except when her father made bird sounds or refused medicine from doctors.

Tomorrow I am going on.

In the hospital

When Van Gogh stayed in the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, I think he felt a lot of depression, sad, alone and more.

He had hoped the hospital would help him feel better, and he was eager to again be good with his unwell health. But sometimes, his mind felt out of control. He became scared and confused, seeing things that weren’t there and struggling to manage his actions. At times, he couldn’t even paint.

But he still kept doing art.
He liked to spend time in the garden painting trees and flowers and outside of the hospital. He painted many flowers, landscapes, and people working.

From his paintings, we can always see how he felt inside and how he developed his art. Compared to his paintings from Paris, the colours and lines in his paintings were full of energy; these works are filled with movement and vitality.

Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum

In 1889, Vincent moved to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in France, seeking better treatment for his health issues. Saint-Paul-de-Mausole was an old building with a large garden. Originally a monastery, it later became a place for people needing care when they were very unwell.

I was quite curious about this hospital, so I checked it out online. It was a large area, with a big garden full of flowers, trees, and other plants. Surrounding the building were fields and hills. A lot of sunshine made the flowers and trees appear bright and colourful.

At the heart of Vincent’s life at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum was his doctor, Gaston Rivière. A man with a deep love for art, Gaston was particularly fond of Vincent’s paintings.

Gaston not only provided medical care but also support, which allowed Vincent to focus on his artwork. He was very curious about Vincent’s art and also about his painting techniques, etc.

Vincent lived in a simple room with a window overlooking the countryside. He sometimes spent time in the garden, drawing, inspired by the natural beauty. Some other patients who were struggling with their health also stayed here. The environment, the people, and the care he received all played a part in shaping his paintings. Van Gogh developed many important paintings during his time there.

Vincent could go outside during his stay at the hospital, and these outdoor experiences played also an important role in his artistic output during his time there.

After ear cutting

These days, I have a deadline for my catalogue, and it’s making me a bit stressed. But I still tried to keep reading Van Gogh because it is very important to me. Writing is sometimes hard because I need to clear my mind and move from catalogue text to Van Gogh’s Diary. I tried to write a skizz diary, then I went on the next day going on making better.

After Vincent cut off his ear on December 23, 1888, he was taken to the local hospital in Arles.
There, he got to know Doctor Félix Rey. He treated his injury and began helping with his mental health. Van Gogh stayed in the hospital for about two weeks, from late December to early January 1889. Then, he was again good and discharged quickly from the hospital. However, his mental health was still very unstable because children made him trouble, and the people in Arles were scared and did not want him around;

Therefore, Van Gogh was sent back to the hospital again a few times.

Actually, I was wondering why Van Gogh didn’t leave Arles. After cutting off his ear, it might have been best for him to leave. I found out some reasons why he stayed:
Van Gogh loved his Yellow House, and The Yellow House and its surroundings in Arles brought him inspiration for his art creation, and he felt deeply connected to it.

Van Gogh had little money and mainly from Theo for support. Theo paid for Van Gogh’s house and studio in Arles, so moving away from the Yellow House to set up a new studio would have been difficult for Van Gogh.

Van Gogh’s relationship with Paul Gauguin was a big cause of his mental breakdown. Their arguments and conflicts made Van Gogh’s stress worse. Even though Gauguin left Arles, Van Gogh’s mental health was already very troubled, and moving might not have fixed everything.

Flying

Finally I am flying from there away:
I am flying, and nobody can see me, except the animals.
I am flying through the blue sky and sitting on a white cloud. I am smiling, and sometimes I sing a song. A group of birds is following me, and one of them is flying near to me, and she is also singing. Now I see a big ocean, and the sea looks like a mirror and is very clear. I see a lot of fish, and they are swimming, sometimes jumping out. I can also see many beautiful plants in the sea.
I am flying, I see my childhood in the sea, and oh, now I see a large family photo floating in the water. In the photograph, my parents are sitting on a chair, and we are standing around both of them; we are all laughing.
Something happens. The sea in the middle becomes lower, and the sea separates into two halves. And I see we are in the sea, I see my father as a young man and he is riding a bicycle and I am sitting behind him, we go through a big raceway, I fall off, but he does not notice he lost me, I see I am happily playing with earth and water in the raceway.
I am flying through the sky, I am inside a large bag of luggage going through the sky, and I see beautiful pastoral landscape below me. As I pass by I see many small hills and valleys. Oh, the air is very fresh.
There are also many animals. Oh, now I hear the bells from the cattle, there are about 50, and while laughing they eat green grass. They all make the sound “ling ling ling……and moo moo moo.” and occasionally sheep ”baaaaa…” one girl sheep lays her head on a young boy sheep, they are in love.
I also see many cute pigs on farms down below; they all make an “oink” sound.
We can also listen to birds singing.
In a field behind a farm we hear the sound of a horse running to and fro, moving closer and further away.
There is also a donkey in the field braying sometimes.
These sounds give me inspiration for my own art it is like all the animals are sound or performance artists.

A dream or a reality -2

Here, the little kids seemed evil and would beat up new people. They grew up learning these bad things. Some people tried to fight back, but it only caused them more problems from them.

I couldn’t understand why I was here and I cried a lot. I tried to sleep as much as I could. In my dreams, I found beauty and peace. My dreams were full of bright colours, warm sunlight, and happy laughter like earlier.

There was a girl around me who was sick and had to go to the hospital. We all admired her because she got to go outside. When she came back, she told us how beautiful the hospital was, with beautiful people, fresh air and soft light. We listened to her stories closely, wishing we could experience the same like her, too.

I often dreamed about my life before I came here. In one dream, I was in class with my teacher and friends. They were looking for me and wondering where I was.

I asked people who could go outside to tell my family where I was. I hoped they would come and rescue me from this bad place. But every day, my hope got smaller and smaller because no one came.

As the days went by, I started to forget the songs I used to sing and the melodies that made me happy. It had been two weeks since I came here, and I was feeling very sad. I didn’t know what would happen to me or if I would ever get out.

In my dreams, I imagined my papa finding out I was here. I saw him looking for me and trying to bring me home. But he did not find my name on the list; my name wasn’t on any list. I looked like lost luggage at a train station, forgotten and waiting for someone who might never come.

A dream or a reality

When I saw one of Van Gogh’s paintings, I always thought it looked like a dream of mine, a dream that felt real in my life when I was 27 years old.
In the dream, I had a beautiful life each day, but suddenly, I would disappear. Some people secretly took me to a strange world where we lived in a big cage, and no one knew where I was. My parents couldn’t find me anymore.
I was placed in this strange world with around 400 people. I thought they would take me out of there on the second day.
It was after midnight in the height of summer, and I saw all the people sleeping on the ground there. The air was so bad. Under the dim light, I could see some black things moving around the sleeping people. I was so scared, but also very curious. Then I realised they were black rats. They all looked the same—black with big bellies—and the people didn’t seem scared; they looked like they were used to them.
The whole night, I couldn’t sleep, waiting for the second day, hoping someone would come for me away from here. I waited and waited, but no one came. Suddenly, I felt a wave of fear wash over me. I realised I might be stuck here, unable to leave.
During the day, I was so hungry, and finally, I was given food, but I noticed it contained small white worms. I felt scared and tried to ask for different food, but someone strongly kicked me with her feet.
There were all kinds of people around me. Some people seemed mentally ill, making strange things: A woman was making a mess on the floor and looked at me with her silly smile, and one collected other people’s bowls; One said her newborn baby must be very hungry and crying all the time, and she asked me for help; One kept repeating a piece of poetry: “Airplane, Airplane, come down please; I want to go with you to fight bad people, hahaha…”
Close to me, there were two people forced to hold a pose with their arms up and their bodies bent at 90 degrees for a few hours under the hot summer.
It was a really or dream?

Gauguin and Vincent sickness

Today, I read again about Gauguin’s time in Arles.

During Gauguin’s stay with Van Gogh in Arles, Van Gogh was very excited about working with Gauguin and hoped it would improve his art.

But this excitement changed after his arrival and caused him a lot of stress. He felt a lot of pressure to create his work and worried about if his art was good enough. This stress made him feel very anxious and upset.

Van Gogh had mood swings during this time, shifting from high energy and creativity to deep sadness and anxiety.

Although Gauguin’s presence inspired Van Gogh’s art, it also made him feel more isolated and stressed. The differences in their artistic ideas and lifestyles added to Van Gogh’s emotional nervousness, which caused him mental sickness. Maybe before he already in this case.

Van Gogh cut off part of his own ear. This was a clear sign of his mental health problems.

Through internet checking:
some experts believe Van Gogh might have had bipolar disorder, which causes big mood swings between high energy and deep sadness.

Some think he could have had epilepsy.

Van Gogh also used lead-based paints, which could have caused lead poisoning.

He drank a lot of absinthe, which might have made his mental health and physical condition.

mental sickness

My parents work in the medicine area, and growing up in such a family, I was always very interested in medicine area and human health conditions. I actually wanted to study medicine at the uni, but it is very difficult to reach.

I want to know more mental sickness because when people speak about Van Gogh, they consistently mention his sickness. Today, I checked a bit to learn more about mental illness.

In my life, I have already met people with the following mental sicknesses like Depression, Anxiety disorders, Schizophrenia, but Bipolar disorder.
I do not think I know someone in my surroundings.
Depression is a serious illness that makes people feel very sad and hopeless for a long time. When someone has depression, they might lose interest in things they used to enjoy and feel very tired all the time. They might even think about hurting themselves. Depression isn’t just feeling sad for a little while; it’s a lasting problem that needs help from a doctor or therapist.
Anxiety disorders make people feel very nervous and worried all the time. People with anxiety disorders might be afraid of things that are not really dangerous. They might also have a fast heartbeat, find it hard to breathe, and have trouble sleeping or focusing because they are so worried.

Schizophrenia is an illness that makes people see or hear things that aren’t real, or believe things that aren’t true, like thinking they are being chased or controlled. People with schizophrenia might become very quiet, avoid talking to others, and act in unusual or strange ways.

Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder makes a person’s mood change a lot, like a roller coaster. Sometimes, they might feel very happy, full of energy, and need less sleep, doing things without thinking. Other times, they might feel very sad, just like people with depression.

A Journey with Life of Sunflowers

I would like to create a big performance project. The project will focus on sunflowers and involve interactive and collaborative with people.

There are 30 participants who will use sunflower seeds, soil, and pots for indoor planting and prepare an outdoor space for planting in the ground.

Participants will get info about planting the seeds. they will be encouraged to discuss their expectations and feelings about the process.

This project will last for three months. After planting, they will follow a watering plant and come back to water the plants regularly.

In between, participants will observe how the sunflowers grow over the time. They will record the process on their mobile phones and post a diary for each day on Instagram.

After a period, Participants will write about their experiences, how they felt, and any changes they have noticed in the sunflowers and themselves, like “What does watching the sunflower grow remind you of in your own life?” and “How has taking care of the sunflower affected your emotions or thoughts?” and so on related to their own lives.

Afterwards, they will create drawings inspired by their sunflowers and their reflections using pencils, colours, and so on.

At the end, participants’ drawings and reflections will be shown at the door and in the outdoor sunflowers area.

This performance project will not only let participants engage in the creative process but also connect deeply with nature, allowing them to reflect personally on their experiences and more.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers always turn towards the sun, which can symbolise hope and looking forward to the future.

Van Gogh had already painted “Sunflowers” in Paris in 1887.

However, he painted most of his famous sunflower paintings in Arles in 1888 and 1889. He wanted to decorate his “Yellow House” with them. He hoped his friend, the artist Paul Gauguin, would come to live and work with him there and have a nice atmosphere.

Van Gogh loved sunflowers because they were bright and cheerful, and they made him feel hopeful. In Arles paintings, he uses a lot of bright yellow. He paints the sunflowers with thick, strong brushstrokes.

His sunflowers are not only flowers; they show his feelings and emotions. If one takes a long time to look at his sunflowers, his sunflowers speak to each other, and each looks like a small human figure; some are very cute, some look happy, some are active, and some very exciting, and some fall in love, some struggle, some fight, some angry each other, some young, some old, some look tired, some looks sleepy.

I imagine I can make a short video about Van Gogh inside, speaking about all his sunflower paintings. This video would relate to his passion and emotions, his happiness, sadness, grotesque, doubt, ….

diligence and performance system

Van Gogh loves art, and his diligence really touched me. He developed his painting system through hard work. Some people have talent but not diligence. Diligence and Talent together are the best. Van Gogh is such of person.

Thank so much for my teacher, Marina Abramovic. Without her, I would never have had the chance to learn performance art. I love performance art!

Actually, I am not really interested in answering the question of what performance art is because I keep doing it.
But sometimes people ask me, and then I tell them: What is performance art? Imagine your body as a pen and the space as paper to draw upon. You can create performances by yourself, and you can also include painting, sound, video, and all other media in your performances. So, performance art offers many opportunities to express your thoughts.

Since I chose performance in 2000, I have focused on performance practice and research for these 24 years. I developed my Performance Art System, and there are:

—Solo Performance
A performance in which I perform alone.

—Performance Installation
A performance in an installation which I designed myself.

—Changing Exhibition
My artwork changes and develops continuously during the exhibition. The whole process is a performance.

—Daily Live Art Performance
Art and everyday life are closely connected. The performance is integrated into my daily life. The living space becomes an exhibition space.

—Equal Collaborative Performance
Performance collaboration on an equal basis with people of all ages and nationalities from different professions.

—Object Interactive Performance / Object & Video Interactive Performance
The installation of objects, or objects and videos, with interactive performance and collaboration with people at the centre.

—Sound & Music Performance
A performance which focuses primarily on sound and music.

My new catalogue will come out at the end of September. In this catalogue, one can see more of my performance-developing system, and I am very happy about it.

learning, doing, researching, thinking, and developing-1

Van Gogh left Paris later because he was too busy with other things and almost forgot he was an artist who should focus on art. He wanted to find a special place just for himself to create and follow his artistic dream.

I read about Van Gogh’s time in Arles, France, in February 1888. He worked very hard, painting from early morning until evening…

If we review his life, Van Gogh was always learning, doing, researching, thinking, and developing. These elements gave him a lot of art experience.

He did not always plan everything perfectly, but while doing so, he learned his artistic direction. For me, he was not only a painter but also a performance artist.

Doing is the most important thing in our lives!

I have met many artists who want opportunities but are not hardworking. Many wait for inspiration before starting something. Actually, even without inspiration, if one keeps doing it, inspiration will come eventually. Therefore, doing is always the most important thing for everyone.

By doing s, I also gain a lot of experience in performance art.

Tomorrow going on

Chinese art, Japanese art and van Gogh art

I am so happy I finally understood why Van Gogh’s painting had a big influence on Japanese Ukiyo-e art. It is important to know whether Chinese art influenced Japanese Ukiyo-e art. The following reading is very interesting for me!

Chinese painting had a significant impact on Japanese Ukiyo-e during the Edo period (1603-1868). Ukiyo-e artists learned from Chinese ink paintings, using techniques like lines and shading. They also borrowed printmaking technology from China, which came to Japan via Korea. This helped them develop their unique woodblock print style.

Chinese landscape painting inspired Ukiyo-e landscapes by artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige. Chinese figure painting influenced the way Ukiyo-e artists depicted poses and costumes. The Japanese artists adopted Chinese compositional techniques to add depth and layering to their art and used blank spaces. Also, Zen Buddhism influenced Ukiyo-e simply, naturally and poetically.

When Van Gogh was in the Netherlands, Japanese art did not really occur to him. However, like many impressionist artists, he became increasingly interested in Japanese ukiyo-e after living in Paris.

Van Gogh often copied ukiyo-e prints as part of his study. In his paintings, he borrowed elements such as flat compositions, vibrant colours, and decorative patterns. Japanese art became one of his biggest inspirations and influenced his art for the rest of his career.

Van Gogh’s brother, Theo, also had an interest in Japanese art. Together, they built a collection of more than 600 Japanese prints.

Today, this point is very important for me to understand more about Van Gogh’s art. Thanks to the modern internet, otherwise I would never get so much information.

Art among Western, Chinese, and Japanese

While reading, I wondered why Chinese painting didn’t affect Western artists in the 19th century.
The Qing Dynasty ruled China from 1644 to 1912. In the 19th century, Chinese paintings didn’t spread much to the West because China had a closed-door policy that limited trade and exchange, making it difficult for Chinese culture and art to reach Europe.

After the Opium Wars (1840-1842), China focused more on political and economic problems than on cultural exchange with the West. When some Chinese art reached Europe, it was mostly ceramics and crafts, so Europeans had limited understanding and appreciation of Chinese paintings.

China used wood printing mainly for books, which was not the modern method of art printing, making it hard to share paintings widely. At that time, Western printing technology improved and helped spread local art.

Chinese art focused on poetry and philosophy, influenced by Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist thought. Western people had prejudices against Chinese art and were more interested in their own styles, like Realism, Romanticism, and Impressionism. So, different cultural understandings also created problems between Western and Chinese art.

In the 19th century, Japanese art was more accepted in Europe than Chinese art. Japan had more contact with the West after opening up in the mid-1800s, allowing Japanese art to be seen and appreciated. Japanese woodblock prints, like ukiyo-e, were popular and influenced European artists with their unique style, bright colours, and simple, flat designs. These prints were easier to understand and fit well with new art movements in Europe, like Impressionism. In contrast, Chinese art, with its focus on mood, brushwork, and philosophical themes, was more problematic for Europeans to appreciate.

Western and Japanese paintings difference

I was curious about how Van Gogh was influenced by Japanese art, so I looked it up. What is the difference between Western and Japanese paintings?

In the 19th century, Western and Japanese paintings were quite different. Western artists used styles like realism, painting things exactly as they were, using oil paints and techniques to make their paintings look deep and 3D. They used light and shadow to make paintings.

In Japan, Ukiyo-e painting used woodblocks to depict everyday life, landscapes, and kabuki actors. Japanese art uses big, flat colours and doesn’t try to create 3D. In traditional painting, black ink is used for different shades of grey. Japanese art liked being uneven and free, unlike the balanced art in the West.

Western artists often painted history, mythology, and religion. During the Realist and Impressionist periods, they painted portraits and daily life, but they romantically painted nature and landscapes.

Japanese artists focused on nature, landscapes, flowers, and animals, often stylising the seasons. They also depicted everyday life, entertainment, and city scenes in ukiyo-e. Their art sometimes included mythological and spiritual themes, but often in a more symbolic way.

Western art focused on human experience and personal expression, aiming for realism influenced by science. Japanese art emphasised harmony with nature and used symbolism and abstraction to express deeper meanings and emotions rather than trying to be realistic.

Artists Self-portrait

Vincent created around 35 self-portraits altogether, mainly painted between 1886 and 1889. In Paris, his self-portraits show a change in colours from realism to a more expressive style. Influenced by Impressionist artists, he experimented with light and colour in his self-portraits to better express himself.

Most painters have done self-portraits, and I quite like them because they allow artists to express themselves. They help people connect with the artists and learn more about them.

During my time in the East Village, I also painted many self-portraits. My paintings from that time mainly express my feelings about myself, other people, and my surroundings. In my self-portraits, the human figure can represent any person. Many of my paintings from this period convey feelings of sadness and depression.

Impression of Van Gogh’s Still Life Paintings

After studying more of Van Gogh’s still-life paintings, I decided to create a live still-life performance exhibition inspired by forty of his still-life paintings.

The motivation behind this show is to delve deeper into Van Gogh’s still-life paintings from his Nuenen and Paris periods through practice.

Forty different still-life paintings from these periods were selected as sources of inspiration.

The exhibition will be displayed in two rooms, each featuring twenty different object stations. Visitors can choose their favourite station and create their own paintings with oil colours.

Room 1: This room will feature pottery, fruits, vegetables, and items from rural life. The lighting will be dim, evoking the style of Van Gogh’s Netherlands period, creating an intimate and contemplative atmosphere.

Room 2: This room will showcase flowers, fruits, and everyday objects. The lighting here will be brighter, reflecting Van Gogh’s Paris period.

The entire exhibition will last one month, and the lighting at each station will change daily to provide a “changing exhibition” experience. Visitors can experience and create still life in different lighting arrangements.

Van Gogh’s still-life paintings will hang on the walls, and the smell of oil paint will fill the air, making visitors feel like they are in a studio.

In the room 1, warm, dim light surrounded the pottery and vegetables on wooden tables, which hold old farm tools and simple dishes. Visitors can quietly look at these objects in the dim light, feeling how Van Gogh worked hard during his time in Nuenen.

In another room, flowers, fruits, and everyday things are arranged. People will get a feeling of more lighting on the objects.

This exhibition is not only an exhibition related to Van Gogh’s still-life paintings but also an opportunity for people to engage in and experience the creative process.

Still-life paintings in Paris time- 2

Today, I read his still-life paintings in Paris time. Vincent was influenced by the Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist works. He changed his style and used more colour and light in his paintings, moving away from the dark earth tones he used in Nuenen.

I always admire Van Gogh’s diligence and focus on art making. During his time in Paris from 1886 to 1888, he created around 230 paintings and around 200 drawings. Among these artworks, he made many self-portraits, models, landscape paintings, and still-life paintings. He painted flowers, fruits, and everyday things.

He especially painted many still-life paintings of flowers, experimenting with colour, light, and techniques. His brushstrokes are becoming thicker and bolder. Vincent was very interested in how colours work and studied colour theory by reading books and practice. we can see some of his flower paintings how he experimented with different colours:

In the painting “Glass with Roses”, intense green and dark red are visible. He explored how these colours communicate and contrast with each other, creating a very special feeling.

In the painting “Vase with Red Gladioli,” Van Gogh tries to experiment with how red works. He focused on experimenting with different red colors. The painting shows how red works in different lighting and backgrounds.

The painting “Vase with Gladioli Bowl with Sunflowers, Roses and Other Flowers” shows how different colours can harmonise together. Vincent arranged various flowers with different colours to study how different colours complement each other in one painting.

In the painting “Lilacs”, Vincent uses bright and contrasting colours to make the lilacs stand out….

Still-life Paintings in Nuenen -1

Most painters have probably painted still life paintings, which can take a long time to complete and an art meditation. Before they start painting, they choose what objects to paint and what textures to use for these objects. Then, they arrange the objects (like food, fruits, flowers, and other household items). During this time, artists go back and forth, carefully changing the positions to see the composition, colour, and light.

Today, I also read a bit about Dutch still-life paintings. The country has a long tradition that goes back to the 17th century. I also read that Van Gogh was greatly influenced by old masters in the Netherlands.

When I thought of Van Gogh in the past, I always imagined his bright, intense colours; however, people might not consider how many experiments he did with colours, from dark to bright. Until now, I have learned more about Vincent and gained a lot of new knowledge about him and his artworks.

In his short life, Vincent created approximately 2,100 artworks, including 860 oil paintings, more than 1,300 drawings, watercolours, and more. His subjects are different things, like landscapes and humans. Among these, he did around 170 still-life paintings. I quite like his still-life paintings from his time in Nuenen.

These paintings are made from 1884 to 1885. His still-life paintings use earth, brown, and grey tones. You can see the light, middle tones, and dark tones in his works, which give a dark feeling.

The rough and generous brushstrokes make you feel the countryside, the village atmosphere, and the simple, original life smell.

His still-life subjects often included everyday objects such as pottery, fruit, vegetables, and rural life items.

I love his still-life paintings in Nuenen!

some thoughts and Still life paintings –1

My mind is a bit slow at the moment.

working on this “Yingmei Curious Vincent Van Gogh” project, requires me a lot to read, listen, think, and write. It takes many hours, averaging 3-5 hours a day. Additionally, I am also working on my new catalogue, “Performance Art Developing system of Yingmei Duan (2013-2024)”, which I have always been working for more than one year in working, and I need to finish it before August 15, 2024.

I am very focused each day, and I know that working on a long project becomes more difficult in the middle period, but with the most difficult and challenging time it will be at the end. However, when I finish it, I will be very happy and feel successful.

Besides using books at home, today’s modern internet technologies, like internet searching, Google & DeepL translation, Grammarly, and ChatGPT, have all helped me with these both Van Gogh project and catalogue. And all of these online helping save a lot of time and help with my imperfect English.

I believe there are some mistakes or misunderstandings in my diaries, but I plan to check all the writings after August 15th.

Through this project, I discovered that the information I found online wasn’t always correct, so it’s possible that some of my writings is incorrect. However, I will do my best to avoid itand provide correct information.

Now, I would like to go on his still-life paintings.

I reviewed today Van Gogh’s still-life paintings from the beginning of his career until just before he went to Arles.

As I looked at his still-life paintings, I felt a strong connection to my own art practice in the early 1990s. When I first began learning art in Beijing, I made also still-life paintings, mostly spending about three hours on each. This practice is important for improving my understanding of composition, light, and colour. I still remember my first still-life painting, which earned me a compliment from my teacher, Cao Li.

In China, studying at an art academy involves practice in drawing both life models and still-life paintings. This training still remains essential today for students’ Academy applications.

Performances in Beijing East Village in 1994

In 1994, during the East Village time, several artists created influential performance art pieces. I can write some which I was also in the performance.

Ma Liuming initially focused on painting but later became more interested in performance art. One day, he performed in front of Gilbert and George when they visited the East Village. After this, he planned new performances with Zhang Huan and Zhu Ming. I recall one of his performances where he was naked and cooking.

Zhang Huan was a key artist in his time and was known for his influential work in the East Village art scene. One of his famous performances was “12 Square Meters” (1994), in which he created a performance in a public toilet in the village, using fish or honey on his body to attract flies. His Ex-girlfriend Binbin Zhang and I helped with the preparation.

Zhu Ming lived opposite my room in a family house in the village. He also did a wonderful show at the Beijing Museum in the 1990s. It was a kind of object installation in black-and-white colour, very modern! I can still remember some very well. In East Village, he performed with “Blowing Bubbles” in his living space. A multitude of soap bubbles surrounded him. Zhu Ming blew bubbles using his mouth.

Can Xin was also living in East Village, made a performance, and started working on “Stepping on Faces” in 1994. The process involved creating silicone moulds from his own face. Over a period of one and a half months, he produced 1,500 moulds. These moulds were then laid out on the ground, and for a week, the audience was invited to step on them until they were completely crushed.

Maybe some more artists did performances in 1994 in East Village Beijing.

Some memories in East Village in Beijing 1990s

I enjoyed reading about the Impressionist artists and their efforts to promote themselves. This made me think of the East Village artists from when I lived in the East Village.

“The East Village was an artist’s quarter on the outskirts of Beijing. The area reached international fame in the 1990s when musicians, artists and critics who were looking for free space began to live there. A great deal of innovative and experimental artworks have been made and developed there; the performance work, in particular, has gained a lot of international attention. During this period, the artists worked on their projects but also began to produce collaborations. “To Add One Meter to an Anonymous Mountain” is one of the most well-known collaborative events performed by artists from that area.

Artists in the East Village include Cang Xin, Duan Yingmei, Gao Yang, Kong Bu, Ma Liuming, Ma Zongyin, Rong Rong, Wang Shihua, Xu Shan, Zhang Binbin, Zhang Huan, Zhu Ming, and Zuoxiao Zuzhou”

We met a lot at Zuoxiao Zuzhou’s house to listen to Rock and Roll Music.

At Zhang Huan’s house, we often gathered with other East Village artists. Artists shared our passion for art, ate together, and talked about our lives and future goals. Most of the meetings were full of excitement and energy. Even though artists had different styles, we all wanted to push the limits of art, just like the impressionist artists did in Paris in 1880s.

The get-togethers weren’t just social meetings; they were exciting processes for innovation and support, where new ideas and collaborations were born.

I was new to art at that time and more naive in person and in art. I did not really spend ideas at the time; I was more listening and thinking. I love smiling, so smiling and humour are also very important for bringing good energy.

Some of the impressionist artists

Van Gogh was like a small, cute boy when it came to learning and also liked thinking deeply. After he saw impressionist artists’ artworks, he was so excited. Then he looked again at his paintings, and they were dull, clumsy, boring, and lifeless. He felt that he was all in an old world making his art, and did not know the art world was changing. In Paris, Van Gogh met some artists, and I was also reading a bit about them and their art.

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, born into a noble family and because of an illness that made him very short, was a painter and illustrator. He is famous for his artwork depicting Parisian nightlife, including performers, prostitutes, and other figures from the Parisian underworld. He often captures the lively atmosphere of venues like the Moulin Rouge. His style features colour, dramatic scenes, and a graphic look inspired by Japanese prints.

Paul Cézanne was Born in France, Cézanne initially studied law but later focused on art. He also studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He played a crucial role in moving from Impressionism to modern art, especially Cubism. His work helped shape the future of Cubism and modern art. And inspired later artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

Paul Gauguin apprenticed at a shipping company and later became a stockbroker, which was his profession before he entirely dedicated himself to art. Gauguin’s art is known for using bright, vivid colours. His artwork features simple shapes that are more detailed than realism. Influenced by Japanese prints, his paintings are often flat and two-dimensional. He depicted Tahitian and Marquesan people and landscapes. Some of his paintings are filled with mythological and symbolic elements.

Georges Seurat was a French painter known for Pointillism, a technique using tiny dots of colour to create detailed images. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. His work was influenced by colour science and aimed for a more structured approach, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” is his most famous painting with this pointillism.

Vincent in Paris

During these two days, I read about his time in Paris again,
Paris was a major centre for art. In 1886, Vincent moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo.
Soon after arriving, he met many Impressionist artists and their styles, such as Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Camille Pissarro, and Georges Seurat. He found that all their works had air in them.
Influenced by these artists, he started using bright colours and lighter brushstrokes, changing from the darker tones he had used before.
It was very interesting to read Theo and Vincent’s conversations. Vincent once told Theo that he wished he had introduced him to these artists earlier, feeling he had wasted six years on his artwork. But Theo emphasised that his artwork was perfect, unique, and Impressionistic.

As Vincent tried to paint like these artists, different styles began to appear in his work. Theo encouraged Vincent to find his own style and to find himself again. It is very interesting to know that Theo, with his sharp eye for art, understood Vincent’s artworks so well. Van Gogh was fortunate to have such a brother.
In Paris, Vincent attended art salons and exhibitions, which allowed artists to show their work and share ideas. He built strong connections with some important artists, including Pissarro, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Bernard, and they exchanged techniques and ideas.
While in Paris, van Gogh was very active, and he almost lost himself as an artist at the end of his time there. He came close to realising a form of utopian communal living among artists through cooperation and mutual support. This is a very interesting idea to me.

Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers- Space 3

You have already experienced copying his sketches(first space) and drawing live models (second space); as part of the large-scale performance art installation “Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers”, a dedicated third space is set up for people to discuss, reflect on Van Gogh, and gain more experience with his drawings.

In this space, some different stations are offering various activities:

—Many chairs form a circle, where you can sit down and talk about Van Gogh’s sketches, life, letters and so on

—Draw sunflowers on the big glass (6 Meter X 4 Meter) window.

—Make improvisational music with different instruments to express your feelings about one of his drawings or, in general, feelings about his life.

—Write a letter to Van Gogh on A4 paper, including your feelings, your excitement, your enjoyment, and your understanding of his drawings and do on.

—-Write your suggestions for Van Gogh from your inner thoughts.

—There is a very long timeline from the beginning until the end of his career as an artist; please choose one of the years to remember about his life and what Van Gogh made during that year with his drawings.

—You can take one of his drawing copies, please, at home to go on your research or copy it again and again

Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers- Space 2

Here, there is a large performance installation show inspired by Van Gogh’s art drawings. The space is open daily, and people can enter and draw at any time.

It shows different labours and aims to capture the emotions and daily life of various ordinary people’s works.

The most important thing is to invite people to observe and draw their feelings about the different scenes to gain an understanding of Van Gogh’s sketches.

Now we are in the second, larger space. It feels three times bigger than the first space. Natural light pours in from roof windows, making the area very bright and dairy.

The space looks very busy. There are many people here, drawing models on paper with easels. Altogether, there are ten different models in various situations. They are all arranged in different locations within this large space, and each group is drawing a different model. If people go around, they can see examples:

—A woman sewing, sitting on a chair working with old clothes.

—A sower planting seeds in the yellow field.

—An old man with his head in his hands – he knocks his head constantly, looking as if he did something that made him sad.

—A woman digging, a strong woman working with tools in the field.

All the models look like they are from the 19th century in the Netherlands, reminiscent of Van Gogh’s time. Everyone is welcome to participate in making drawings, like local communities, school children, cultural groups, and so on. After finishing their drawings, participants can display them together in a designated area, like an art show, and then engage in discussions about their drawings.

Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers- Space 1
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, This space belongs to the large-scale performance art installation show “Connecting with Van Gogh’s Laborers”.

There are three different spaces in total.

Here, one can experience Vincent Van Gogh’s different drawings. People can make copies of some of his drawings to experience Van Gogh’s drawings and sketches of all kinds of labour.

On one shelf, you can see his artwork catalogues,
This space is round and very quiet, and there is very good natural light from the high roof windows. One can see a very big round table (diameter 10), and participants can sit outside or inside to make drawing copies.

There are two different walls, one for drawings on the walls for participants to reference and copy, and another for people can hang their drawings, which they copied on the wall. On the corner, this space is for children to play with Van Gogh’s drawings.

And each day, 13:00 and 16:00 o‘clock, we will take one hour for exchange.

Drawings like “The Sower”(1882), “Old Man with His Head in His Hands” (1882), The Seamstress (1882), “The Weaver” (1884), “Woman Sewing”(1881), “Woman Digging” (1881) and so on different working-class people, around 10 different sketches.

For each drawing, there is some explanation about the drawing, background, purpose, emotional impact, feeling, composition, style, materials, form, date, style, and technique, as well as characteristics on paper and a monitor.

You can take one Sketch of Van Gogh for copying around a round table on the Drawing Board, and there are different drawing materials, including pencils, all kinds of paper, erasers, Charcoal, ink, pens, drawing boards, and so on. They are all spread on the table everywhere.

We also have four assistants who can provide further information when people need it.

We go on to next space.

A letter for Van Gogh

Dear Vincent,
I am still focusing on your drawings, especially from your time in The Hague.

Your series, including “Sower,” “Carpenter,” “Sien,” you features the same individuals from different angles. I can see you put a lot of thought into how to make each drawing.

I really appreciate your efforts and enjoy repeatedly reading your drawings in silence. The different techniques you use—pencil, charcoal, and colour—are very interesting.

Though they may not be perfect, the drawings are honest. Your use of pencil for strong outlines and details, sometimes combined with charcoal for dark and light areas, creates different effects. Most of the backgrounds in your drawings are simple, so I can keep the focus on the figures.

I also admire your group of people’s drawings, such as “Miners” (1880). The varied movements of the figures give the drawing a poetic and relaxing feeling.

In “Miners Women Carrying Sacks (The Bearers of the Burden, 1881),” the dense lines for this drawing, with sacks on their backs, give me a heavy and sad feeling.
“Sand Diggers” (1882) presents a lively scene with many figures engaged in their work, people close and far, all different, which is very interesting to me.

In “Torn-Up Street with Diggers” (1882) , there are many different types of people in this drawing, and it has a very lively atmosphere.
“Potato Grubbers, Four Figures” (1883), though done quickly, is still quite interesting for me.

Your work has inspired me to go outside and draw or paint again. I am planning to do so soon and am also interested in copying some of your drawings to learn more about your techniques. Also, tomorrow, I would like to create some new artwork related to your drawings.

Thanks, Vincent!

Warm regards,
yingmei

A letter to Van Gogh -3

dear Vincent,

Your drawing shows human instinct, their struggle, humanity, and hard lives. They hold a special place in your heart and your art, too. I am always very touched that you are deeply immersed in your artwork.

I quite like your drawings about Sien in the Hague. It is a pity that you both did not stay together at the end.

After Sien had the new baby, your relationship changed much more. You wanted Sien to continue to model for you, but over time, she grew tired of it. With the more responsibilities of taking care of children, cleaning, washing, and cooking, she became too much of a burden. Actually, your relationship has become more like that of a family after you have lived together. Each needs to give their time to the other. And if the problem comes, you both need to find a way to get through it, but you both did not do well!

Family work is a very big part of life. Housework, looking after children, cooking, washing, and even toilet cleaning are all important, just like doing art. If one thing is not arranged well, then there will be a problem one by one.

I have always been on my way to my art. Even each time I spent less time outside, I found problems, too. I believe that human beings gain something, but they also lose something.

I really learned more about family arrangements after 2020, the time of COVID-19. I have a significant interest in family arrangements now. For me, doing art in another country or in my living area is the same. It is important to keep going.

So, if you stay with Sien for more years, I believe you would get more involved in the family because the cute, tiny baby Anton loves you so much, and you also love him and want to give him a good life.

It is your first love, and art took your heart away, so you separated at the end.

Tomorrow going on

A letter to Van Gogh -2

 

My husband, Jürgen, likes reading and writing. He is a very thick dictionary, and I have admired him since we met. He has also written more than 20 books.

I read each day, too. Although our home has more than 30 shelves, I need to read more and want to read more books in the future.

You always speak as you think, very directly! On this side, we are very similar, and my mom is also the same character. As an artist, I also know that honesty is very important.

You draw all kinds of ordinary people, like sewing, workers, and peasants. I like the people you drew and painted. I also agree with your perspective that they are much more interesting to draw.

For more than twenty years, I have travelled around the world, meeting many people. I have been to South Africa, and it is still like a dream in my life to have experienced so many beautiful women, children, and traditional simple village dancing from locals in the countryside.

I just found out you had plenty of drawings, and I have read your drawings almost every day for more than one month. I like your drawings more than many of your paintings; your drawings all have hearts, and your drawings all can speak. Sometimes, I see your drawings; I also feel that they come out of your drawings to talk to me.

I miss that time, as I had just begun to learn art in Beijing. I also did a lot of drawings, but at that time, I still did not really know how to express my heart in most of them, and I just tried to make them similar when I drew.

Your drawings are not perfect, but I like imperfection; this imperfection belongs also to my character. I have done 25 years of performances, but I still cannot be perfect enough to do most of them. Each of my performances has shortcomings.

Jürgen also draws almost every day, and he is very good at it. He is different from you, but I also like his drawings. I recently collected more than 10,000 A4 drawings from his childhood until the year 2000, and I am still collecting them.

a letter to Van Gogh-1

 

I want to write Van Gogh letters, and this is a performance project, I can do 6 months.

Dear Vincent,
Today, I feel compelled to write you a letter. I hope to write more letters to you in the future.

I started getting to know you better a month ago. Since then, I’ve been busy writing a diary entry about you each day. Every day, I spend a few hours reading and learning about your life and artwork through books or online. I am very thankful to Newcastle University and the Van Gogh House in London for enabling me to research you and your artwork.

I wake up every day before 7 o’clock. After getting up, I start reading about you, so each day begins with you and your art. Sometimes, when I’m on the way, I also make time to listen to you.

After gathering information in the afternoon or evening, I start writing something related to you. At the beginning of this performance project, I just made writing from what I had read. However, as time passed, I realised the importance of giving each diary a title. When I’m particularly interested in specific topics, I go deeper into this topic and continue in the following days for my diary.

Your passion, emotions, and curiosity…touch me deeply, and your diligence, boundless creativity, and unwavering determination move me a lot!

I have read all your letters quickly, but I want to read more slowly again because I am very interested in each moment of your colour theory, your art, and your life. Irving Stone wrote a Roman about you and your art. I like this book, and I have finished all the reading, but I am also going through the book slowly for the second time because I want to keep many exciting moments in my mind.

—I like that you love literature.
I tried to get to know your favourite writers more online: Charles Dickens, Émile Zola, and some more. But I still need time to get to know them better. Through them, I want to understand you, your life, and your art more and more.

Sien -2

 

I go on to read Van Gogh’s drawings and colour works from the Hague, and I was also very touched by the many different drawings and colours.

Vincent loved painting ordinary people and made many drawings of Sien.
Life was tough for Sien, a single mother with children. Vincent felt a deep empathy for her work as a seamstress and sometimes as a prostitute.

Her face, body, personality, and emotions greatly inspired his drawing, and her imperfections moved him deeply.

Vincent’s unique character, his love for literature, and more all combined to inspire him to create a realistic depiction of Sien—her sadness, longing, and tiredness. By portraying Sien, Vincent saw the injustices of the world reflected in her body. He used imperfection lines to draw her posture, clothing, and work, inspiring us with his unique perspective.

I want to create an exhibition focusing on Vincent, Sien, and their children’s relationship. Each room will showcase one of my paintings, capturing different moments of their lives. Each painting will be accompanied by music that fits its atmosphere.

At the end of the exhibition, I’d like to set up an interactive space where people can collaborate with me as performers. We’ll analyse Sien’s character and work together to portray people we’ve encountered in life through different paintings, fostering a sense of community and shared creativity.

Hague time with Sien – 1

 

After reading some of Vincent van Gogh’s stories, I don’t feel that he was always unlucky with women.

In fact, he had some positive relationships. In the end, they all left, but each time something happened, it was partly his own doing, not just the fault of others.

Vincent van Gogh had relationships with several women in his life. I’ve written a bit about his time in London and his infatuation with Ursula. After that, he fell in love with Kee Vos-Stricker. However, I am particularly interested in his relationship with Sien Hoornik when he was in The Hague. Vincent met Sien in 1882 after his time with Kee.

Vincent lived in The Hague from 1882 to 1883, where his early teacher was the well-known artist Anton Mauve. Mauve encouraged him not only to draw but also to create colour paintings. During his time there, Vincent experimented with many different techniques and materials. He used chalk, ink, pencil, charcoal, watercolour, oil, lithography, canvas, paper, crayons, and panels to make his drawings and colour artworks. He produced numerous drawings, watercolours, and paintings, focusing on everyday life and labourers.

Sien was a seamstress and a single mother living in poverty, and she was struggling to support herself, her young daughter, and her mother. She was also a prostitute.

I have reviewed most of Vincent’s artworks from his time in The Hague, and I am very surprised by how many works he created, especially those featuring Sien and her children as models. After meeting Sien, Vincent tried to change her life situation. They soon lived together, even though Theo and his family did not like this relationship.

Sien and her children helped him significantly as models for his art. Vincent created many drawings of them, such as “Woman Sewing,” “Seated Nude,” and “The Cradle.” Vincent had deep empathy for people in difficult situations, and Sien was a Model for him and inspired him a lot. Their relationship, though brief, deeply influenced Van Gogh’s artistic development, particularly in his portrayal of human figures and emotional depth.

Books

 

I believe Vincent’s parents read many books to him during his childhood. His unique personality leads him to immerse himself in his own world, and one of his favourite activities is reading.

He enjoys novels by Charles Dickens, Émile Zola, Leo Tolstoy, and others. Through reading, he learns about poverty, injustice, tragedy, and the human condition in society. These topics touch his soul and evoke his empathy, inspiring his creativity.

Because of language barriers, I have liked being alone since childhood. I enjoy being alone and never get bored. In the quiet world, I can speak with myself, imagine, dream, fantasy, observe, and listen to the surrounding world. Everything I perceive from my surroundings helps my brain develop, and I enjoy it very much.

I love drawing because it feels like my way of speaking. My character is also characterised by empathy and a desire to help others.

People who have grown up with disabilities or challenges from a very young age face many difficulties, pain, and melancholy. They spend a lot of time by themselves during the process of growth. Facing physical or psychological barriers often requires a lot of understanding from others, along with their support and assistance. Therefore, they can more easily empathy with others’ difficulties or sadness. Knowing the importance of support from others, they also strive to help others when people also need help.

Most of Vincent’s figure paintings and drawings feature ordinary people, like peasants and rural workers. The people he encountered in books profoundly influenced him, and he expressed his emotions through his art after encountering them in life. For Vincent, these people touched his heart and inspired his work.

My new school

 

I’ve read about Van Gogh and Sien’s relationship these days. But it’s best to stick with the topic of boarding school before moving on to other things.

Yesterday, I started sketches about Van Gogh’s time at boarding school. Today, I want to talk about my first experience leaving home to learn in another city, at AN DA city, when I was 16 years old.

On my first day at school, I didn’t want to eat in the canteen because I did not like the food there. Certain foods, like pork fat, steamed cornbread, or Napa cabbage, I have not eaten since birth. But after three days, I got really hungry and started eating.

During breaks on the playground, I always heard the song “The Small River in My Hometown” playing in the background, I remembered this very well.

In my new class, more than half of the students come from poor families in rural areas. They were very diligent and often slept only 4 hours per night. They lived on about 20 RMB (2 pounds) per month. Many of them suffer from lung problems due to poor living conditions and a lack of nutritious food. During that time, I also developed a lung problem.

It was my first time seeing so much poverty in China, so whenever my parents brought me something nice, I shared it with some other students.

I remember the sleeping conditions clearly. There were about 30 students in a not-so-big room, maybe 50 m². The room had only one small window and a small heater for winter. We had bunk beds and beds close together. My bed was right next to the small window and heater. It was very cold in winter, and my feet always felt freezing. As a result, for the next two years, I had significant issues with my feet during the summer.

In the 1980s in China, rural students had one chance to change their lives: by going to university. They were determined to have a better future and not stay in their villages forever. I remember a young, very beautiful student who tragically took her own life when she found out she couldn’t continue studying. If she had lived, she might have realised how stupid it was to leave the world this way so early…

I could make many different sketches related to my time there, too.

Boarding School

 

I want to create sketches first and then develop my artwork further using different art media. Today, I’m focusing on developing sketches related to Vincent’s time at boarding school.

 

—One sketch: Children are playing different games on the playground. Some boys are playing football on the grass, running to catch the ball. Others are playing in the sandbox or skipping rope. The atmosphere is cheerful and lively.

 

He watches them from a distance, sitting alone on the ground. He seems out of place in this setting, and beside him lies an unfinished drawing that he has been drawing on. His eyes occasionally drift back to the sketch, and he looks, thinking something deeply.

 

-—-second sketch: In the classroom, rows of plain wooden desks and chairs are neatly arranged. The walls are adorned with children’s drawings and simple handicrafts. Over twenty boys are focused on their lessons, and the teacher is teaching a math lesson from the blackboard.

 

In one drawing, Vincent can be seen with his red hair. His facial expression reflects a mixture of enjoyment and excitement. Sitting slightly lower than the other children, his thoughts are away from the lesson, and he is secretly sketching the teacher and some of the boys. He looks into their faces, filled with concentration.

Another sketch with a classroom scene，it shows all the children looking back at Vincent while the teacher has an angry expression on him. Vincent appears very sad and shocked. His drawing falls on the floor.

The large space has a dim and quiet atmosphere, with many beds arranged in order on both sides, left and right. In the drawing, there are around 20 simple beds. The ceiling is very high, and moonlight streams in through the small windows.

In the center of my sketch is Vincent, lying under a grey blanket with his eyes open, surrounded by books. His facial expression shows he is deep in thought, revealing a heaviness inside. Around him, all the other children are already deeply asleep in their beds.

Farewell in the Railway station

—There is a sketch drawing. Vincent and his parents are at the railway station in the early morning to say goodbye, as he is going to Barding School. The atmosphere looks like autumn.

Young Vincent is dressed in a simple black suit. His face looks mixed with sadness, happiness, and uncertainty. A suitcase is beside him.

His parents stand in front of him. Mom is wearing a long dress with a shawl, and she has worried feelings in her eyes; one hand gently holds his arm. His papa is dressed in a dark suit with a top hat. His expression is emotional, too, and his facial expression encourages Vincent.

A steam locomotive smokes nearby, and a large clock is above it. The station’s arched windows and very high ceiling can be seen.

—I remember when I was 16 years old, last year I went to another school in a different city for high school. I clearly remembered the excitement of being away from my parents with a smile on my face. I always admired some of my classmates who lived at school. I often looked through windows, admiring those who had that opportunity. However, I couldn’t experience it myself because my home was only 5 minutes away. it had always been a childhood dream of mine to live away from home.

Another sketch depicts me in soft sunlight outside under a blue sky. I’m dressed in a skirt adorned with small flowers. One leg stands on the train station platform, and the other rests on the train door. With a curious, naive, and joyful expression, I look back at your parents without any sadness.

My parents’ eyes look very, very worried, and they are Dressed in typical 1980s clothing. My father is wearing a jacket and trousers, and my mother is wearing a simple dress.

There is an old-fashioned train; one can see a bench around my parents, and a ticket window can be seen behind them a bit distance.

Me and my siblings and Vincent and his siblings-1

 

Before the 1980s, each family in China had many children. I have three siblings, and our ages are also close: my young sister, my older sister, and my older brother.

 

I was born in 1969, and at that time, each family looked very simple, but we grew up with a lot of happiness. We lived a very basic life, and my siblings and I all lived together in one room in the flat.

 

I want to make some realistic drawings or paintings related to my childhood with my siblings and also Vincent’s childhood with his siblings.

 

1. My childhood: In the drawing, my siblings and I play in the countryside landscape. One can see a very small river, in which small fish move around in the clean water. Some farmers are far away, growing rice plants and sunflowers in the field.

 

Vincent family: In the drawing, it is sunny, and there are very beautiful high flower fields in the big landscape. One can see a small path, and Vincent and his siblings are very happy running in the landscape with Mom; far away, one sees a church.

 

2. My childhood: In the drawing, cooked meat, potatoes, and Chinese cabbage are on a small table on the floor. My siblings and I sit on small benches around the table. We all eat with Chinese chopsticks and a small bowl of rice in our hands. Besides us, there are big brick beds with fire under them, and on the bed, there are many quilts.

 

Vincent’s parents and children are around the big table. On the table, there is cheese, Sausage, bread, forks and knives, and a vase with sunflowers. From the small window, one can see that it is evening food. They are with closed eyes and pray before they have food. Besides them, one can see a fireplace with fire.

 

3. My childhood in the garden:

In the drawing, you can see a small garden in front of a simple house where baby ducks, two geese, and numerous chickens roam freely. They wander all around the garden as we play our favourite game, Feiji ge.

 

In the drawing, the garden in Vincent’s family is full of different flowers: roses, tulips, and one big apple tree. Children play hiding games in the garden.

The possible reason for Van Gogh’s character formation as a child -4

 

Like earlier Chinese families, the Vincent family had many children. I believe in such a big family, and the children would fight, help, and encourage each other and some each other would  have an eng connection too.

 

Vincent had many siblings:

• Anna Cornelia van Gogh (1855-1930)
• Theodorus (Theo) van Gogh (1857-1891)
• Elisabeth Huberta (Lies) van Gogh (1859-1936)
• Willemina Jacoba (Wil) van Gogh (1862-1941)
• Cornelis Vincent (Cor) van Gogh (1867-1900)

 

Vincent’s mother was Anna Cornelia Carbentus, and his older sister was named Anna Cornelia Van Gogh. They shared the same first name. Vincent’s brother Theo’s full name was Theodorus Van Gogh, which was also the same as their father’s name.

 

Why did they have such similar names? Perhaps the parents wanted to maintain a balance in Vincent’s psychological state, hoping he would not dwell on the same name as his deceased brother.

 

There was another person in Vincent’s family who had psychological problems like Vincent—his younger sister Willemina. She was the closest to Vincent, and she was admitted to a psychiatric institute in Veldwijk and died there later.

 

Vincent’s youngest brother, Cornelis Vincent (Cor) van Gogh, also died in South Africa at a very young age.

 

“Cor was a volunteer in the Anglo-Boer War and was listed as having been killed in action, though some reports say that he committed suicide in 1900.”

 

From what I have read so far, there is a possibility that mental health issues may have been inherited within the Van Gogh family.

The possible reason for Van Gogh’s character formation as a child -3

 

In childhood, relatives or friends may sometimes have taken care of him when his mom was busy with other things. This could also influence Vincent’s character.

 

In the 19th century, boys were generally considered more important than girls in the family structure in the Netherlands. This idea came from old traditions, where people thought it was important for men to inherit property and keep the family name going. Boys usually got more education and were trained to be leaders. Girls often got little education and were prepared for home duties and being mothers.

 

After Theo was born, the two boys shared their parents’ love. Maybe he felt more pressure.

 

Van Gogh is more introverted, and Theo is more extroverted. Theo is calm and easily gets along well with others. Generous Theo could take care of Vincent and help him from a very young age. Vincent also gave good feedback to him.

 

When Vincent was 11 years old, his parents sent him to boarding school in Zevenbergen in 1864.

He was quite young to live alone. At that time, children at boarding schools slept in large rooms with many beds. They had to follow strict rules, such as staying quiet and in bed after lights out…Boarding schools had strict schedules and discipline. Also, there were administrators responsible for this work.

 

Vincent needed a lot of space alone. It could have been very difficult for him to get used to sleeping with so many boys in one space, and he did not have his own space. This atmosphere disturbed his inner world, which affected his lowness, thinking, and imagining. Maybe he also had uncomfortable experiences with the administrators, some boys, or teachers at the time.

 

In 1866, he started at a boarding school in Tilburg. He was entering adolescence, a time when young people experience many emotional ups and downs. During this period, Vincent also felt isolated, lonely, and unhappy. Why? We do not know. Maybe he was falling in love, or he found out that he was not as handsome as some boys, or he also began to think of human sexuality…

 

All can influence his character.

The possible reason for Van Gogh’s character formation as a child -2

My husband told me that each day, when I open my eyes, I already begin to ask questions since we have known each other for more than twenty years.

I really love my topic, which focuses on a Van Gogh project, and I enjoy asking questions, researching, analysing, and delving into a person’s life and art. Studying human beings has always been my favourite. I love long-term projects as I can go deep inside.

I am very excited to learn more about Vincent’s life each day. With time, I am discovering more about how to approach and develop this project.

From what I have read so far, it’s clear that Van Gogh’s parents loved and supported him with their best. They played a crucial role in his life, with a good education and career aspirations from an early age. They encouraged him and tried to find the best path for his life, even though they did not all agree with his decision or had occasional struggles or conflicts among them.

The same name as his dead brother was already very strange for him, maybe causing people in the village to talk about it. Van Gogh is introverted and sensitive, and he has a complex inner world. His mom went to the grave of his brother to pray, and Mourning for young Van Gogh would be very confused and not understand his dead brother or mourning for him. This problem may have haunted him throughout his childhood.

His father, a pastor, was always busy with religious duties, interacting with churchgoers, and assisting those in need. Van Gogh‘s lack of interaction with his father affected his self-confidence and made him feel unsafe.

How Van Gogh’s mom is portrayed, as well as the relationship between Anna and her husband at home, can also influence Van Gogh’s upgrading.

After his elderly sister was born, as he was two years old, the parents shared love for her…

When he was in primary school, maybe the teacher or the children around him also influenced his character, and he liked very much to be alone. How did they react to him? And what kind of special experience did Van Gogh experience in primary school? All these things can shape his character with time.

The possible reason for Van Gogh’s character formation as a child – 1

 

I am very interested in how Vincent van Gogh’s character was formed.

 

1. There is a possibility that mental health issues may have been inherited within the Van Gogh family. However, this was not revealed during his childhood.

 

2. Van Gogh’s mother, Anna, lost her stillborn first child. Because of her dead son, she needed actual support from healthcare providers and mental health professionals to help her cope. However, in the 19th century, mental health treatment mainly took place in asylums or psychiatric hospitals, which were often overcrowded and provided little effective treatment. Healthcare and mental health care lacked scientific understanding, leading to difficult conditions for treating both physical and mental illnesses.

 

3. His mom became pregnant with Van Gogh two months later. Van Gogh was born just one year after his dead brother. So, for pregnant women, Anna was experiencing distress, sadness, and guilt. Many factors can impact maternal emotions on the developing baby. Therefore, before Van Gogh’s birth, he formed his character in his mother’s womb. After he was born, it became apparent that he had a unique personality that tended toward being solitary or unsociable, possibly autism. Anna named him after his deceased brother, and she frequently visited his grave. All these factors may also influence young Van Gogh’s character.

 

4. He was the only child for two years before his elderly sister born. This period may also profoundly shape his character; being alone as a baby. Van Gogh was the family’s greatest wish; they poured all their love into him and provided him with everything they had. However, they also imposed strict discipline on him, which may have added burdens to his upbringing.

Parents and Vincent -3

 

In young Vincent’s bedroom, we see a bed with a quilt, pillow, and some toys. Some regal books are mounted on the wall, and there was a prominent cross. There is a painting on the wall that looks like a young boy drawing after a painter; the boy looks like Vincent. Vincent himself is focused on reading under the soft glow of an oil lamp, and around this book, there is a cute, small, lovely lamb recently bought from the market on the table. Half-open windows reveal a Dutch landscape. This drawing has a quiet and somewhat melancholic atmosphere.

Another drawing: The nighttime sky is visible through open windows, and young Vincent sits in a corner. His gaze is fixed upon the stars above, and he is deep thinking. Surrounding him are pieces of literature, religious god books, and some of his drawings. The small lamb is sleeping gently in his arms.

He is now outside at night; the sky is filled with stars, and the moon shines brightly. Along the path, his father’s church stands prominently, where he serves as a minister. On the other side, a vast yellow farm field stretches under cover of darkness, with his looming shadow cast behind him. This drawing also has a melancholic feeling.

 

In the vast farm landscape, farmers are working in the field during the busy harvest season. One sees a windmill and also some cows and lambs. Young Vincent observes the beautiful landscape and sits under a tree, drawing the rural field, windmill, and his parents. They appear in his drawing around the windmill.

Tomorrow going on

Parents and young Vincent -2

As you already know from yesterday’s writing, I make different drawings, but each one has the same elements, which will appear in the next drawing.

There is a warm, peaceful family situation. There is some modest furniture. Anna reads to young Vincent with the books that Vincent just made the drawing with. In young Vincent’s hands, there is also a small dog; he is playing at the same time. His Papa Theodorus sits at a table with some of his god’s books on it. He looks behind them in this direction and seems full of love to them but also worried.

The small dog appears in the beautiful garden. The garden looks well-kept, with different flowers and plants. A small watering can or digging tool can be seen, too. Two bees, especially bigger ones, appear in flowers, too. There are also some birds too. Mom is teaching Vincent to make a drawing; around Vincent, there are some drawings he just made with flowers, birds, plants, and bees.

The small dog follows young Vincent on a path in the countryside, and the bees fly around young Vincent; the especially bigger insects can also seen in the grass. Vincent looks very curious and excited. His parents, who are in the distance, can be seen. The surrounding atmosphere is wide green fields, tall trees, and a small river, far a small church can be seen among the farmhouses. Birds fly in the sky, and lambs and cows are joyfully looking at him, too.

In a small church, three people sit on a bench: Theodorus, Anna, and young Vincent. They dress very seriously. Vincent’s closed eyes reveal details of his face, and he is praying with his parents. A God book is beside him, and a basket is on the bench. The atmosphere is calm and nurturing.

Mom and Vincent in a Markt, and mom with the basket; a lot of different people appear in the market, and different animals can be seen, and Vincent is playing with them in crouching.

Tomorrow going on

Parents and young Vincent -1

 

there is a comfortable room decorated with family portraits, items like books and bookbinding tools from her dad’s work, and modest furniture from the 19th century. Anna is sitting with the opened windows looking outside, and she can see she is reading.

 

— In a poetic garden, Anna is reading on a swing. She is reading about a love story, and there is an image showing her wedding in a church. Her family house can be seen from the 19th Century, and there is a girl who is not clear to see sitting in front of windows looking in this direction.

 

Now, in a church, Van Gogh’s dad is married to his mom, Anna. She looks at the people. Some people are in the church for the wedding, and one pregnant woman is Anna herself.

 

In a carriage, her husband is taking a nap, and happy pregnant Anna gently touches her stomach with the unborn baby in her body. She looks at the blue sky, and she is happy imagining her future life. The carriage goes through a cemetery; one can see there is a funeral.

 

Now, one can see the tomb closer; Anna is sorrowful and praying for her dead child in the cemetery. Not far away, one can see a boy; he is exploring the cemetery and looks very curious but also has a strange feeling. On the path to the cemetery, one sees a woman with a boy hand in hand.

 

We can see the woman and the boy Van Gogh hand in hand on the cemetery path. He looks at her sorrowful face and has a lot of questions in his mind. He also has a sorry face. Very far in front, one sees a family house.

 

This boy, Vincent, is in a two-story brick and wood building. It’s a family house, and his mom is drawing with him about some items, like books. On the wall, there are photos of a deceased baby. The boy in the photos shares the same name as the boy in the photos. Looking into Vincent’s eyes, you can see that he has many questions in his mind.

 

Tomorrow going on

Parents and Vincent character

A newborn baby, Vincent’s older brother, the first child, accompanies Vincent’s mom Anna in daily life during her pregnancy. He should be the biggest present from god for the family. Anna definitely has a big enjoyment and wishes and a lot of imagination for the future life.

But after his birth, he dies; this destroys Anna emotionally and psychologically and makes the whole family depressed. She may look for the reason about his death, and guilty feeling. Also in a family with deep religious beliefs, she think it may a punishment for a person, or a test of her faith or behaviour.

regulary Mom visit his tomb will makes her more good feeling and also wish him in heaven good living.
Vincent’s mom grew up in a family that valued education and religion, and Vincent’s father, Theodorus, is a minister, and his occupation was respected. Being in such a family, his parents must be involved a lot in education, culture, and morality with their children. So Vincent and his siblings received a good education, learning to read, write, and study religion. I believe the parents also put a lot of wishes on Vincent and tried their best to give him a good education and opportunities like in boarding school. From the biography, I know Vincent always tried to do his best in his work and also want to come his parents’ wiessh or his wishes in true, but everything that he tried did not fit him except as an artist.
I want to create different artworks related to Vincent and their parents. In the next part, I will write more.

our childhood life experience

Vincent has the same name as his old dead brother. Vincent was given the same name. I sometimes believe ghosts around us, and I also believe names can bring people bad luck. Vincent often went to the tomb with his mom when he was young, and when he was 11 years old, he attended various boarding schools but was unhappy and struggled to fit in. With such a young already away from his family and what he experienced during that time, no one really knew. I do not believe he spoke more to his parents. Also, his papa was a minister; I believe there are a lot of rules or strict, which built his later character in life.

I am interested in analysing human beings deeper inside, maybe because I was not very good at speaking in childhood. I have always liked observing, listening, and imagining.

Also, maybe because my parents work in the hospital. Health, sickness, or death are often the main topics in my family. And my home always smells of Chinese medicine.

My papa is not only a doctor; he is also a social person, and he has many friends from different societies in his surroundings. All his life, he has helped many families not only with medicine but also with getting better jobs through his relationships with high-position people. He has made different families lucky to live together. He changed many people’s lives to be lucky. Even though he is over 80 years old now, he still wants to go to work and doesn’t like only stay at home. He love connecting with people.

My dad sometimes also looks like a maternal figure because of his papa’s political background. He had to support my grandma and his four siblings. Therefore, he has a very kind character and great generosity.

Therefore, I am interested in human beings maybe from him! I am very curious about people. I would like to know who this person is, what kind of character he has, and what he has experienced in life. Why is he melancholy? How can I give him encouragement? …

I want to use my imagination to create different sketch drawings depicting Vincent’s childhood and also my childhood, also the people around us and different areas…

Vincent and Theo, me and my family -1

 

Reading about Vincent’s life and art keeps me awake at the moment; each day, I am curious to know more about him.

Vincent is lucky in life on one side. He has a brother—Theo, Vincent’s only true friend. They kept writing to each other.

In Vincent’s letters, he often mentioned his artwork, detailing his current painting processes, themes, and techniques. He also shared his life experiences, including his health, excitement, passion, loneliness, and wishes. He talked to Theo about people from his surroundings.

Theo’s letters to Vincent: He frequently provided financial support, enabling Vincent to focus on his painting. Theo was deeply concerned about Vincent’s health. He also offered valuable suggestions or talked about his paintings to encourage him. keeping Vincent connected to the art world, Theo updated him on news about galleries and shows. He introduced Vincent to new and emerging artists and their works, providing inspiration and information for Vincent.

Although Theo is younger than Vincent, it looks like Theo takes care of Vincent much more.

Reflecting on Van Gogh’s life, I find similarities in my own family, particularly with my siblings and parents. Like Van Gogh, I am also one of the children in a family whose parents always worried about us.

When I was born, my mom initially didn’t realise my speech mistake had occurred. After discovering this, my papa said many years ago that she spent half a year crying each day. Despite this unexpected beginning, I’ve received the biggest unwavering love and support from my family since childhood. I got everything that I wanted since my childhood.

I’m so lucky that I grew up in a loving family. Of course, children who grow up with speech problems have melancholy from birth, though there is big love around them in life. If I were normal, I would not know what kind of life I would have.

Uncle Cent and Theo

 

—Uncle Cent and the Goupil & Cie.

Goupil & Cie was founded by Adolphe Goupil, who was not from the Van Gogh family. Uncle Cent was a well-known art dealer who sold paintings and prints for Goupil & Cie. He was an important person in bringing Van Gogh to the art world.

 

—Theo Van Gogh

Theo provided Vincent with financial and emotional support throughout his life and played a crucial role in his artistic development. He was not only an art dealer but also he was instrumental in promoting the works of contemporary artists, including those of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements.

 

He began his apprenticeship at the art dealership Goupil & Cie in Brussels. He later worked as an art dealer for Goupil & Cie in Hague, Paris, and London from 1878 until he died in 1891.

 

Theo specialised in selling and promoting works by emerging Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters, including Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, and Paul Cézanne. He also sold paintings by artists of the Barbizon School, such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Jean-François Millet, who were known for their landscapes and depictions of rural life. Other artworks, like prints and drawings, are also available.

 

—created art series about Theo

I am also very interested in creating an art series related to his brother: Theo

Examples:

–Like childhood with Vincent together

–sitting with artists together to listen to their opinions about art.

–His kindness to people and speaking with people in the gallery about impressionist paintings

—appeared with Vincent together in a different situation

— in the cemetery, they are neigbours. I plan to create artworks ‘two ghosts chatting’, a concept that will be brought to life through my imagination and fantasy in a series of unique drawings.

-—-The Kern of this series of artworks is inspired by the Vincent and Theos letters (Theo wrote 40 letters to Vincent, 600 letters from Vincent to Theo); then, I will develop more drawings. With these drawings, I will develop different artworks related to different art mediums with the time.

Love

 

I am always interested in analysing human beings and like to delve deep into their inner selves. Everyone has experienced feelings of love in life. I am very interested in Van Gogh’s women, such as Ursula, Kee, Sien, and Margot. I want to learn more about their stories through Van Gogh’s letters, and writings from different people.

 

One of the key aspects of my analysis is the exploration of his women’s thoughts on Van Gogh and his thoughts on them, their impact on him and his impact on them. This will allow me to learn more about their differences and similarities, such as their family backgrounds, characters, jobs, and social status. Once I have gathered enough information, I will embark on the process of developing various concepts about Van Gogh’s love for these women. This will involve a more deeper dive into his letters, my own emotional responses, and the historical context of their relationships.

 

Some ideas:

I will create different sketch drawings based on Van Gogh’s women from various periods.

 

I want to create a show called “Van Gogh’s Love.” With Multimedia Space Performance Installation with different show spaces.

 

Possible 1:

Each space will represent one of his women, each with a unique atmosphere ranging from normal to happy, dreaming, excitement, and melancholic. The artworks will include paintings, videos, installations, writing, and music. In one of these spaces, there will be a performance related to the theme of love each day. One more space will be kept empty for people to rest and reflect on their own lives and love.

 

Possible 2:

In this “Objects & Video Performance Installation” form, I will display artworks related to Van Gogh by using different art mediums like paintings, videos, installations, writing, and music. There is only one big space for the show. Each piece will be surrounded by objects with which visitors can interact. A5 note will describe different stories close to each artwork. This show will build connections between objects, spaces, and people, creating a three-dimensional network. …

 

There are countless possibilities for creating works related to Van Gogh’s women.

art, nudity, eroticism, or sexuality -2

Vincent primarily produced portraits, still life, landscape paintings and drawings. Despite this, there is a belief that he also did some explicit erotic works. When reviewing his artworks, there are almost no pieces that are explicitly erotic.
Vincent had a tumultuous relationship with his sexuality and intimacy, which might have led to the creation of erotic works. People who are introspective or do not like speaking often love to imagine, which might have contributed to the belief in his destroyed erotic works. Additionally, it’s possible that Van Gogh’s erotic paintings were destroyed due to his family’s strong religious background.
Like most artists, he became more interested in painting or drawing naked female models during his time in Paris. I also made a lot of naked model drawings during my art learning, and I am also very happy as a model in drawing lessons.
I have been working as a model for drawing courses Since 2002. Over time, this has become a part of my life. My journey into this line of work began when my teacher, Marina Abramovic, suggested that we consider working as models to earn extra money.

I really enjoy this job; it gives me time to speak with myself while they sketch me. This job has also greatly helped with my nude performance works, expanding my possibilities in creating performance art. In 1995 East Village artists performed “To Add One Meter to an Anonymous Mountain” and “Nine Holes”. That was my first time performing nude. Since 2000, I’ve done more nude performances. I am very grateful to Marina for her excellent teaching and for introducing us to model jobs in drawing lessons in school.

Today, performers perform naked less and less, and sometimes, I feel pity. Sometimes, people ask me why I do naked performances. I always tell them it depends on what kind of performance I conceived. For example, “Venus from rubbish.” If I do this performance, if I wear clothes, it will be very strange.

art, nudity, eroticism, or sexuality -1

I often read about artists and prostitutes. Gauguin and Vincent to Prostitute… Then I got to know 19th-century European artists who often visited brothels. Society had quite an open attitude towards sex and morality at that time. In some areas, brothels were regarded as legal social venues, not only offering sexual services but also serving as places for artists, writers, and entertainers to gather.
In one of my performances in 2003, wrote:
“….Before I was 21 years old, I really knew nothing about sex, and I had never even spoken the word. I had a lot of questions in my mind at that time, for example: “Why does a woman become pregnant?”, “Where do I come from?”, …”
This describes my curiosity about human sexuality. Artists in the East Village are quite young and pursue free expression and unconventional lives compared to regular people. In conventional society, East Village artists had very unconventional lifestyles at that time. Besides their artistic works, they talked a lot about sex and women. Sex made some artists passionate and made others very sad.

I accidentally heard sex-related topics on the radio. Later, through my first boyfriend, who was also living in the East Village, I got to know more about sex. Because of his open-mindedness about sex, we both eventually had an open relationship. I then began to research sexuality and almost became a sexuality scientist through theory and practice.

In many East Village paintings, I think sex played a very important role. One of the paintings I created was named “Artists in Dashanzhuang.” We lived in the Dashanzhuang area, which later became well-known as Beijing East Village. This painting represented my feelings about the artists at that time. However, when some artists found out that I painted them, they suggested I not use the original name, so I changed the name to “Instinkt.”

Many people have already seen the portrait that Rongrong did in East Village in the Tate Modern collection area. The background of this photo was this painting.

excitement, loneliness, melancholy and anger van Gogh

Van Gogh very seldom painted himself in the landscape or among people, so I would like to make some drawings in which Vincent is present. The drawings are the beginning of later development of different art mediums, such as performance, installation, drawing/Painting, video and sound, or a fairy tale text.

1. Excited Van Gogh
a. The background of a London scene that he passes by for work every day, I can draw his excitement.
b. I can make different drawings, each of which related to one of his Women, whom he fell in love with, excited van Gogh
c. In the yellow house excited make the house good, everything i nthe house flying around him , excited Van Gogh
d. Among the simple people like field workers, coal workers, excited van Gogh
e. In different landscapes, excited Van Gogh
….

2. Lonely and melancholy Van Gogh
a. In the mids of rich people dancing, one can see lonely Van Gogh
b. Smoking or drinking alcohol alone
c. In front of the bible, read Melancholy Van Gogh
d. Related to different women and melancholy time too
e. Vincent spent periods of his life in psychiatric hospitals, and I can make some drawings related to these melancholies.
….

3. Angry Van Gogh
a. Angry face of Vincent on the way with sacred Gauguin on his Should
b. His yellow house is either shaking or slowly broken, or all the furniture looks strange
c. All the sunflowers in the landscape were unusual, all facing in one direction.
d. A very big sun looms over the yellow field, seeming to want to burn it. Vincent lies in the field.
e. He throws everything from the windows out of the yellow house, and the children run away.
f. An enormous sea approaches his angry face.
g. His mirror is broken on the floor, reflecting his broken face
…

Anyway, I only wrote some examples from my mind to create some drawings. I can depict his life from childhood until his death, capturing these diverse experiences of excitement, loneliness, melancholy and anger van Gogh during my virtual residency time.

Relationship with Gauguin and one idea of Van Gogh.

Since Gauguin came to live in the Yellow House, they have had different opinions about art and have been fighting constantly.

They both painted the whole day and could not sleep in the evening because they were constantly angry. They ate too little food, were exposed to too much sun, too many colours, too much excitement, and had too much smoke and alcohol in their bodies…

From my side, Gauguin made Van Gogh down, made him feel unconfident, and made him sad and more crazy with mental problems. Actually, Van Gogh should have stayed away from this kind of people. Then maybe his life later would be more lucky. I can understand Van Gogh better than Gauguin because I grew up with speech problem, and I was always behind people in my childhood…

Though Gauguin did not like one idea from Vincent, I like Van Gogh’s one idea about working with different artists very much. He told Gauguin that they were not successful because each artist only did his own painting. Each has its own good or bad side, but if all the Artists work together on one painting, then it brings more success. Seurat painted air, Gauguin painted a landscape, Lautrec painted people, and he painted the sun or stars and moon.

I have been involved in collaboration since 2005, and I really love it! Since 2005, I have done more than 100 collaboration performance projects. solo performances from 2000 until now.

I have only one head, and my knowledge is limited to what I know. Therefore, I have always thought more heads were more clever; each has its own ability.

I’m curious about people, their work, and what they know. So, working together, I believe it will be very strong and we can accomplish great things

I have learned a lot during the collaboration, opened my heart to people, and gained a lot of wisdom.

Working with different people can be challenging, but I have learned a lot about how to arrange problems and how to be more generous.

Yellow house and his painting experience in Arles.

Van Gogh is delighted to have found a city and a house he loves: the yellow house in Arles. After constantly moving around, he wants to settle down here all his life.

All artists are welcome to live in the yellow house rent-free; instead, they can send Theo one painting each month. When Theo has a lot of impressionist paintings, he can move away from Goupil and open his own gallery in Paris.

The floor was made of red tiles. He painted the walls a delicate purple. He bought sheets and pillowcases in a very light greenish-yellow colour, then a scarlet blanket. He painted the bed frame and the chairs as yellow as fresh butter, the door purple, the washstand orange-yellow, and the bowl on it blue….”

I am interested in how he made the colour in his room in Arles. It is a very contemporary and looks like he made a space installation with colour. I can imagine doing one art project in which I arrange the space and things in the space with colour in Van Gogh House London or somewhere, so people will quickly realise it is Van Gogh’s colour.

During the talking with Gauguin, I learned more about van Gogh’s paintings.

He said
“… make paintings enthusiastically.
—Painting the sun, to feel how the sun rotates so quickly and radiates waves of light and heat of enormous power…
… painting a cornfield, to feel how the atoms in the corn push and press…
painting an apple, to feel how the juice of the apple presses against the skin…
…painting a farmer in the field, to feel how the sun flows into the farmer, into the field, into the grain, and how they all flow back into the sun…”

From what van Gogh said, I have a lot of feelings, and I could make different visual artworks.

When van Gogh actually spoke to Gauguin, I still felt that he needed to be more confident in his art. Gauguin is much more confident, but I love, of course, van Gogh’s opinion much more. I also like that he is always doing and going on.
I am very much remembered as the beginning of my art career; if someone saw my paintings and spoke like Gauguin, I was upset and explained again and again…

Mosquito dancing and woman Maya fairy tale

Van Gogh always draws landscapes. He was often bitten by mosquitoes, and when I heard about this, it reminded me of a performance I did in Trinidad called “Mosquito Dancing”—it was really itching. I also thought about creating a painting depicting his legs, marked by mosquito bites that he constantly licked the mosquito bites. I can put this performance documentation and also the painting with mosquito Bites of van Gogh together.

One dialogue that deeply moved me was the exchange between Van Gogh and a woman named Maya. The emotional depth of their conversation inspired me to create a musical piece. Despite my limited piano skills, I felt compelled to compose a simple melody that would capture the beauty, melancholy, and other aspects of their interaction.

“Behind Vincent in the field, he heard a soft voice from a woman who told him that she had been his best friend and loved him and that her love for him would never end. He mentioned his bad teeth, red eyes, thinning hair, and thin …. but the woman responded by saying that she had fallen in love with him the first time she saw his painting and that she had been following him around Europe for the past eight years.

Vincent was deeply touched by her beauty, gentle yet strong presence, kind eyes, and sincerity, especially because women had always looked down on him.
Van Gogh spoke to her about his love to women. He shared his honest thoughts, questioning who would appreciate his hard work and whether his art would ever be valued. She encouraged him that he was great; people would understand his artwork one day after his death; his work would be very expensive; his work would be everywhere in the world…

In another scene, they sat together in a field, her arm resting on his legs. She wore white, exuding purity, creating a romantic and loving atmosphere as they kissed, deeply connected.

Today, I learned a lot about his life in Arles, and I also learned that this city has many sick people with Epilepsy and strong wind.

Van Gogh and Theo chatted before he came to Arles. Again, I felt Vincent was so lucky because his brother supported him. This reminded me of my own life.

I began doing art at the age of 21 in 1991. Luckily, my parents always supported me until I finished studying in Germany in 2007. Even though they did not really like what I did, they gave me the best conditions and let me focus on art. Even my one brother, two sisters, and my husband supported me with their hearts. Therefore, I could focus on art.

During my art career, a lot happened with my family, for example, they regret letting me do art because they always worried about my future life with living and also my health. Even my papa always dreamt that I was sick and no one around me, and he always woke from bad dreams because of me.

One time, my parents visited me in Beijing while I was living in East Village in the 1990s. After they saw my painting, they got so upset that they should have travelled to other cities, but because of their sadness, they could not go on.

My mom was crazy and told me that what I painted, her grandson could do too. And my papa had almost a heart attack. I have many, many regrets from them, and they always wanted to bring me back to them again, and let me go on with my engineering work in my city, and then save a life…

They are always worried about me and always support me, and they hope I can live by myself one day. Luckily, I can live by art after studying performance. I do not have a regular salary, but as an artist, I already have a very good life.

Today, I went through Van Gogh’s catalogue, including his drawings and paintings. Every time I see his paintings, I feel that I want to copy them. When I first began learning art in the 1990s, I copied and painted his paintings a few times. But at that time, I was young and did not really understand him very well. Through this virtual residency, I am really very happy to have the opportunity to learn more about him. I hope one day I really begin to paint again his drawings and paintings to get more of a feel about him and his artworks. Also, I hope also go to Landscape to paint and go to normal people’s lives to make paintings more.

I would quite like to know about an artist’s life and works. I never say that one artist is good or not when I see one or more works. I will decide whether he is a good artist or not after I have done research about his/her whole life and what he has done. Because each artist has done good works, and each artist has not done good works. I always admire artists who are diligent in working, whether their work is good or not, for me, it is not so important. It is important this artist is always doing and thinking and developing.

I also learned that Van Gogh painted many of Jean-François Millet’s paintings. He admired Millet, who loved to paint normal people working. He painted farmers planting seeds, women baking bread, and people working in the fields. Influenced by Millet, Van Gogh made many paintings of simple people, such as working people in the fields, portraits, or doing other work.

He grew up in a good-quality family, but simple people inspired him; he likes to interact with them to draw them.

I will take time to think how I related these kind of art works also to the Van Gogh House in London. I found also I need maybe one day just doing different concepts related to van Gogh’s art works.

These past two days, I’ve learned more about Van Gogh and have many stories about him in my mind.

His brother Theo knew many Impressionist painters, such as Paul Gauguin and Claude Monet. Theo’s connections with these artists provided Van Gogh with an important platform and network. The discussions among Van Gogh and the Impressionist painters enriched Vincent’s understanding of art, inspiring his innovative approaches. This direct contact with them influenced his paintings, especially the use of color.

I’ve been thinking about Van Gogh and the position he held among the artists when he met them through Theo, who was a gallerist.

Through Theo’s support, Van Gogh could fully dedicate himself to painting and drawing.

From this point, I also think of many famous painters throughout history who produced numerous artworks, often supported by contracts or supports and so on. Because of this support, They made a lot of artworks, and therefore, their many artworks are widely seen today.

Having a structured approach, like a contract or a personal rule, is crucial for artists. When I came to Germany for my studies, I made a commitment to create art every day and plan my time. During my studies, I produced many artworks and continued to work on art daily after my studies. This has helped me develop my own artistic practice.

I am currently deeper into Van Gogh’s life by reading a book about him and trying to make some thinking about his paintings or drawings. Then, I would like to develop performance concepts.

He has various fantasies about Ursula. For instance, he imagines her as the wife of a gallery owner or as a priest’s wife living with him. I can imagine making some paintings, and these paintings are dreamlike, capturing her smiles at him.

He teaches in the village and frequently travels to London to try to see Ursula. He would wait in front of her house until all the lights went out.

Another painting: a scene depicted of a man waiting in front of a dark house with an atmosphere of melancholy.

Van Gogh was interested in visiting poor people’s areas. People there had very bad clothes and food. They told him about their difficult lives. Van Gogh tried to speak in front of people in church.

I envision some paintings related to these poor people.

He gets to know about her marriage.

One painting depicts Ursula and her husband sitting in a horse-drawn carriage, kissing each other, with Van Gogh’s face looking very sad in the background.

Another painting captures the sounds of happy music and people dancing at a wedding, with individuals throwing rice in congratulations.

I have read almost all of his letters since yesterday, and it is very interesting to know that in most of them, he wrote about the details of his drawings and paintings and the progress of using different materials like coal, pen, and colour. From his letters, I learned about his colour theory. Of course, I need to read his letters one by one slowly, over time.

Van Gogh was a truly diligent artist. He spent all his time drawing or painting, thinking and developing, and putting all his energy and passion into his creations.

From his diary, I can see my own art life, too. Since childhood, I have had dreams of art; therefore, since I was 21, I have begun an artist life. Until now I feel like I live in a dream and I love art creating.

Today, I spoke with my husband, Jürgen Bernhard Kuck, about Van Gogh. Jürgen is an artist, art educator, and writer. He is very knowledgeable; his whole life has been spent reading, writing, and drawing almost daily.

We rarely learn about Van Gogh’s childhood from his books, as well as his relationship with his parents and other children in the family and his childhood surroundings. I am very interested in how his personality developed during his childhood and what his childhood was like until he was 20 years old. I like to do research about him also through my life experience. I like to analyze this aspect of his life. I would like to create some performances related to different art mediums through my imagination.

Today, I learned more about his time in the house in London, Ursula and her family, and his love for her. I also learned more about Van Gogh’s father and mom, and his work in the London Gallery.

I can make some paintings related to his living in London house.

-—- He tried to win her love but received coldness from her. I can imagine how hard it was for Van Gogh, and I can read his inside: I can paint his emotions toward Ursula—his dream love, passion, sadness, melancholy and disappointment. The atmosphere of all paintings is very quiet, naive and melancholic, as if something is flying to his dream…

His mom is worried about him because she can feel something wrong with Van Gogh, and his papa is disappointed because he did not follow his way as a priest. I can express my feelings in paintings between his mom and him. For example, I can portray her with nice eyes staring at him and with a worried expression. Additionally, I can depict his hug with a larger hand to his body and a mom’s loving feeling. The father can be portrayed sitting somewhere with a cross, and Van Gogh can be included somewhere in the painting to create a sense of distance. Papa and van Gogh visit poor people; I can also open my imagination to paint…maybe also related to my family papa and mom love.

He does not focus on his work in the London gallery because of the sad love.

I can make a painting featuring poor people in the gallery, not just rich people. I can imagine a painting of a rich woman with a feather on her body. I can also paint the inside of van Gogh in the gallery with hating this kind of society people.

In a way, that allows me to imagine creating all the paintings, such as fairy tales and other fantasy themes.

Today is the first day I do “Yingmei curious about Vincent Van Gogh”. In the morning, I tried to read in German about his landscape catalog, Vincent Van Gogh – Die Rohrfederzeichnungen. If I read in German for just one hour with no internet translation for this project, I think 100 hours are really too short.

Then I tried via the internet to read about his drawings in Chinese. In the past, I did not know many of Van Gogh’s drawings, but since this month, I have discovered more of his drawings. His drawings reminded me of when I was in Beijing in 1991, starting my art learning. I often drew in different classes and modes, sketched at the railway station, and sometimes stayed in the station almost the whole day to make drawings. I was so lucky each day to draw because I finally realised my art-learning dream.

As I saw so many drawings, my first feeling was that I wanted to make them three-dimensional and include people in them. 3 or 5 different drawings appeared in 3D landscapes as an installation. People could also hear the songs of birds, feel the wind, and breathe fresh air.

Another thought was I want to perform outside each day for 3 months: sitting in the landscape in the countryside or in the city each day, creating drawings.

In the afternoon, I got Livia’s book from China, and I read some of his diaries. I like this book. It will help me learn more about his thoughts. Then, I can analyse Van Gogh to understand what kind of person he is.

And later, I also listened a bit to his story in London with the girl he fell in love with, and then I can imagine how hard it is for him…

With 25 years of focusing on performance art, I have established my own system using the following categories: “Solo Performance,” “Performance Installation,” “Changing Exhibition,” “Daily Live Art Performance,” “Equal Collaborative Performance,” “Object Interactive Performance,” “Object & Video Interactive Performance,” and “Sound & Music Performance.” In the form of “Daily Live Art Performance,” I will realise my entire 3-month virtual residency as a performance art project. 

Without an on-site residency at Van Gogh House, I cannot directly, physically feel the historical significance of the space, so I would like to create a connection with Van Gogh House through imagination. I dedicate one hour a day to learning more about Van Gogh. I intend to create several virtual art performances incorporating painting, installation, video, writing, sound and photography. Some of these virtual concepts will be interactive and collaborative. I would like to work on the basis of the following ideas:

 

“I am interested in learning about Van Gogh’s life in London. I would like to know more about his relationships with his parents, his brother, and the girl he fell in love with. I am intrigued by Van Gogh’s connections with people, his home, and the landscapes surrounding him… 

 

I am interested in his entire biography, as well as his drawings and paintings. I want to learn about his longings, joys, worries, melancholy, passions, decadence, fears, and more…

 

During this virtual residency, I also want to relate this exploration to my own life, including my relationships with my family members, my love life, my surroundings, my emotions, and my connections with people from different parts of the world. All the virtual concepts will be related to the past, present, and future, and can address various topics in our contemporary society.“

“We are delighted to welcome Yingmei to the Van Gogh House as part of this exciting research project with Newcastle University. In particular we are interested in her performance practice and look forward to seeing how Yingmei engages remotely with all that the house has to offer!“

– Livia Wang, Creative Director of Van Gogh House